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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. drill — the tool
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. clip — a video
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. mate — a partner
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — to grow
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. drill — army training
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. drill — a practice
  16. hand — in cards
  17. clip — to cut
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. mate — to breed
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. clip — for paper
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — a container

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