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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. club — for dancing
  3. rest — what's left
  4. roll — a cake
  5. mark — a trace
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. rest — what's left
  8. club — a group
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. rest — a break
  11. club — for golf
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. roll — a list
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — a video
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mark — a grade
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wax — to grow

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