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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. fine — high quality
  3. wax — to grow
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. clip — to cut
  7. present — a gift
  8. rest — what's left
  9. stock — goods
  10. clip — a video
  11. present — there
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. present — the time now
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. mark — a trace
  17. rest — a break
  18. rest — what's left
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. stock — shares
  22. fine — all right
  23. mark — a grade
  24. wax — in the ear

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