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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. wax — to grow
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — a tin
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — in cards
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. clip — for paper
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — a video
  17. foot — a measure
  18. can — to be able to
  19. cell — a phone
  20. cell — in biology
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. hand — help
  24. cell — in a prison

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