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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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Word bank
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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. kid — to tease
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. clip — a video
  5. kid — child
  6. suit — to fit
  7. suit — in cards
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. root — of a word
  12. mark — a grade
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. root — of a plant
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. root — the cause
  19. suit — clothes
  20. mark — a trace
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. clip — to cut
  23. wax — to grow
  24. fork — in a road

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