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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. mate — a friend
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. mate — to breed
  10. key — the most important part
  11. wax — to grow
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. key — in music
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. key — for a lock
  19. clip — for paper
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. clip — a video
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. mate — a partner

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