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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. clip — for paper
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. mark — a grade
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. clip — to cut
  19. content — the amount
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mark — a trace
  22. wax — to grow
  23. clip — a video
  24. content — happy

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