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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 120 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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. land — to come down
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. clip — for paper
  6. press — newspapers
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. cap — a lid
  9. land — a country
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. wax — to grow
  12. cap — a hat
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. clip — a video
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. press — to push
  18. press — a publisher
  19. clip — to cut
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. land — ground
  22. cap — of ice
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. arm — part of the body

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