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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. spell — a short time
  3. mine — for digging
  4. spell — letters
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. clip — a video
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. can — a tin
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. prune — to trim
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. wax — to grow
  17. clip — for paper
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — to be able to
  21. spell — magic
  22. foot — a measure
  23. prune — to trim
  24. clip — to cut

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