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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. scale — in music
  5. wax — to grow
  6. clip — to cut
  7. race — humankind
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. clip — a video
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. lie — to recline
  13. snap — to click
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. scale — size or range
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. race — the arms race
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. race — a contest
  22. clip — for paper
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. hide — to keep secret

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