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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 120 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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — a video
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. content — the amount
  6. spell — a short time
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. clip — for paper
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — letters
  16. pound — a weight
  17. bulb — for light
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. content — happy
  22. bulb — for light
  23. wax — to grow
  24. content — videos and posts

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