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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. swing — to play on
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. clip — a video
  9. craft — boats
  10. wax — to grow
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. swing — music
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. swing — in golf
  22. vault — a safe
  23. craft — a skill
  24. clip — for paper

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