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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 120 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. cue — a signal
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bulb — for light
  7. clip — to cut
  8. game — a match
  9. clip — a video
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. wake — a trail
  12. bear — the animal
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bear — the animal
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cue — a hint
  18. stand — to bear
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wax — to grow

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