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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. clip — a video
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — to cut
  6. swing — to play on
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. net — for catching
  9. swing — in golf
  10. wax — to grow
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. net — after costs
  14. spell — a short time
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. swing — music
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mate — a partner
  21. net — in sport
  22. spell — letters
  23. spell — magic
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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