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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. clip — to cut
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. staff — employees
  5. pound — a weight
  6. staff — employees
  7. object — a thing
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. court — of a king
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. court — for sport
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. object — to protest
  18. clip — for paper
  19. object — an aim
  20. court — of law
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. staff — a stick
  23. bark — of a tree
  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