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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. rash — hasty
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. tear — from crying
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. current — of water
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. clip — for paper
  12. rash — a series
  13. current — electric
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. plane — a tool
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. clip — to cut
  19. current — happening now
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bulb — for light

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