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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. craft — boats
  5. capital — money
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. clip — a video
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. wind — moving air
  12. kid — to tease
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. capital — a city
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. kid — child
  20. wax — to grow
  21. clip — for paper
  22. craft — a skill
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. wax — in the ear

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