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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. staff — employees
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — to grow
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. rush — hurry
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. staff — employees
  10. clip — a video
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bass — low music
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. chip — for betting
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. bass — the fish
  20. pitch — completely
  21. chip — to eat
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. clip — to cut
  24. staff — a stick

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