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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. clip — to cut
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. present — a gift
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. branch — a division
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. bulb — for light
  12. present — there
  13. clip — for paper
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bulb — for light
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. clip — a video
  18. root — of a word
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. root — of a plant
  21. root — the cause
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. present — the time now
  24. wax — to grow

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