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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. cue — a signal
  4. clip — a video
  5. dip — to sink
  6. spell — magic
  7. cue — a hint
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — a position
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. craft — a skill
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. spell — a short time
  14. clip — for paper
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. craft — boats
  17. spell — letters
  18. cue — for pool
  19. clip — to cut
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. squash — the sport
  23. squash — to crush
  24. ground — the earth

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