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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 116 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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. clip — a video
  5. wind — moving air
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. wax — to grow
  8. cue — a signal
  9. clip — for paper
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. cue — a hint
  14. mate — a friend
  15. clip — to cut
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. cue — for pool
  18. swing — in golf
  19. swing — to play on
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a partner
  22. wind — moving air
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. coach — a trainer

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