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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — a video
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. clip — for paper
  7. rest — what's left
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. rash — a series
  11. wax — to grow
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. game — a match
  16. wake — a trail
  17. rest — what's left
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. game — wild animals
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. stem — to come from
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. rest — a break
  24. rash — hasty

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