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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. clip — for paper
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. pop — soda
  11. wax — to grow
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. pop — music
  14. clip — a video
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. clip — to cut
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. branch — a division
  24. pop — to visit

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