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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — of ice
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. clip — to cut
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. game — a match
  9. clip — a video
  10. drill — a practice
  11. mug — a cup
  12. wax — to grow
  13. mug — to rob
  14. game — wild animals
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. drill — army training
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. clip — for paper
  20. mug — a face
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. drill — the tool
  24. cap — a hat

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com