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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. stand — to bear
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. roll — a cake
  7. current — of water
  8. clip — to cut
  9. kid — child
  10. rush — hurry
  11. clip — for paper
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. kid — to tease
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. current — electric
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. clip — a video
  19. current — happening now
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. roll — a list
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. wax — to grow

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