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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. mug — a cup
  3. clip — a video
  4. wax — to grow
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rule — government
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. fall — the season
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. mug — a face
  16. bass — the fish
  17. clip — for paper
  18. fall — to drop
  19. rule — a law
  20. fall — to drop
  21. clip — to cut
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. bass — low music
  24. mug — to rob

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