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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. mate — to breed
  3. deal — to handle
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. mate — a partner
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. pass — a permit
  11. wax — to grow
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — to confront
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. clip — to cut
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. face — part of the head
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. mate — a friend
  23. clip — for paper
  24. pass — to spend time

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