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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. clip — a video
  3. wax — to grow
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. fork — in a road
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. roll — a list
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. clip — for paper
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. mine — for digging
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. clip — to cut
  24. wax — for sculpting

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