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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — army training
  4. current — electric
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. drill — a practice
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — a video
  12. object — a thing
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. clip — to cut
  15. current — happening now
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. object — an aim
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. current — of water
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. wax — to grow
  24. cabinet — ministers

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