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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. mark — a grade
  3. clip — to cut
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. clip — a video
  8. kid — child
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mark — a trace
  11. wax — to grow
  12. key — the most important part
  13. mine — for digging
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bank — for money
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. key — for a lock
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. key — in music
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — of a river
  23. kid — to tease
  24. coach — a trainer

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