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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. clip — to cut
  3. spell — magic
  4. tube — a container
  5. track — a path
  6. spell — a short time
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. mark — a grade
  10. tube — the underground
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a trace
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. clip — for paper
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. vault — a safe
  19. track — a song
  20. wax — to grow
  21. spell — letters
  22. track — to keep track
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. leaves — to go away

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