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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. march — music
  3. object — a thing
  4. net — in sport
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. firm — steady
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — to cut
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. firm — a company
  12. firm — decided
  13. march — the month
  14. stem — to come from
  15. march — the month
  16. net — for catching
  17. object — an aim
  18. clip — a video
  19. net — after costs
  20. wax — to grow
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. object — to protest
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. wax — in the ear

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