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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 116 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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. clip — a video
  3. sharp — clever
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. season — in sport
  6. pop — music
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — tied together
  10. season — of the year
  11. pop — soda
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. wake — a trail
  14. rush — hurry
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. clip — to cut
  18. pop — to visit
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bound — obliged
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. clip — for paper

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