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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. clip — to cut
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. rock — music
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. band — a ring
  12. clip — for paper
  13. firm — a company
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. band — a music group
  16. wax — to grow
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rock — a stone
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. firm — steady
  23. chair — a leader
  24. clip — a video

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