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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. clip — to cut
  3. lie — to recline
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. object — a thing
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. rock — music
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. wax — to grow
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. object — an aim
  12. clip — a video
  13. object — to protest
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. rock — a stone
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. pass — a permit
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. clip — for paper
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. lie — an untruth

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