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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. fall — to drop
  3. clip — a video
  4. ground — a position
  5. wax — to grow
  6. ground — crushed
  7. fall — the season
  8. charge — in control
  9. dip — to sink
  10. lean — thin
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. fall — to drop
  13. ground — the earth
  14. clip — to cut
  15. lean — to bend
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. clip — for paper
  18. charge — electricity
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. charge — a price
  24. calf — a young animal

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