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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. wax — to grow
  3. object — an aim
  4. degree — from a university
  5. track — to keep track
  6. clip — to cut
  7. degree — temperature
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. clip — a video
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. object — a thing
  12. tube — the underground
  13. track — a song
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. degree — an amount
  18. board — to get on
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. clip — for paper
  21. tube — a container
  22. track — a path
  23. board — a committee
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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