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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. clip — for paper
  3. suit — in cards
  4. mate — a partner
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. mate — to breed
  7. suit — clothes
  8. ball — a dance
  9. stem — to come from
  10. ball — a great time
  11. suit — to fit
  12. mate — a friend
  13. key — for a lock
  14. wax — to grow
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. key — the most important part
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. clip — to cut
  20. lean — thin
  21. key — in music
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. lean — to bend
  24. clip — a video

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