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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 112 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — a video
  4. firm — decided
  5. wax — to grow
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. mug — a cup
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. kid — child
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. kid — to tease
  14. bark — to shout
  15. mug — a face
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — clever
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. firm — steady
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. firm — a company
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. wax — for sculpting

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