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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. mate — a partner
  3. bark — to shout
  4. net — for catching
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. net — in sport
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. pitch — completely
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. net — after costs
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — to breed
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. fan — a supporter

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