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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 120 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. clip — a video
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mark — a trace
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. mark — a grade
  9. clip — for paper
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. fine — all right
  12. wax — to grow
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pop — soda
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. pop — music
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. clip — to cut
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. tube — the underground
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. fine — high quality
  23. tube — a container
  24. wake — a trail

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