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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. mug — a face
  3. march — the month
  4. clip — to cut
  5. tube — the underground
  6. clip — a video
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. march — the month
  10. ball — a dance
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. tube — a container
  13. mug — a cup
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. lean — to bend
  17. clip — for paper
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. march — music
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. mug — to rob
  22. lean — thin
  23. ball — a great time
  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