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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bound — obliged
  4. wax — to grow
  5. clip — to cut
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. clip — for paper
  9. shower — rain
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. mark — a trace
  12. shower — to wash
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. swing — in golf
  15. swing — to play on
  16. ball — a great time
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. swing — music
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bore — to drill
  23. ball — a dance
  24. bound — certain

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