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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. can — a tin
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. can — to be able to
  5. clip — to cut
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. firm — decided
  8. object — an aim
  9. kick — in football
  10. object — to protest
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. season — in sport
  13. clip — a video
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. object — a thing
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wax — to grow
  19. firm — a company
  20. firm — steady
  21. clip — for paper
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. season — of the year
  24. can — a tin

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