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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. clip — a video
  3. present — there
  4. object — an aim
  5. wax — to grow
  6. current — electric
  7. present — a gift
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. object — a thing
  11. kick — in football
  12. present — the time now
  13. current — happening now
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. object — to protest
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. net — after costs
  19. clip — to cut
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. clip — for paper
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — for catching

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