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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wind — moving air
  4. season — of the year
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. wax — to grow
  9. season — in sport
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. clip — a video
  12. scale — in music
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. swing — music
  15. swing — in golf
  16. swing — to play on
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. scale — size or range
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. clip — for paper
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. wind — moving air
  23. clip — to cut
  24. calf — a young animal

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