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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. face — part of the head
  3. current — electric
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. suit — to fit
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. current — of water
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. face — to confront
  10. face — to point toward
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. suit — in cards
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. suit — clothes
  17. wax — to grow
  18. clip — for paper
  19. current — happening now
  20. clip — a video
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. plane — a tool
  24. plane — an aircraft

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