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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. clip — for paper
  3. file — a tool
  4. clip — to cut
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. land — ground
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. object — an aim
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. file — a line of people
  13. object — a thing
  14. land — a country
  15. clip — a video
  16. pound — a weight
  17. deal — to handle
  18. file — a document
  19. object — to protest
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. wax — to grow
  24. land — to come down

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