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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. net — in sport
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. clip — a video
  6. can — to be able to
  7. rock — a stone
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. clip — for paper
  10. net — for catching
  11. can — a tin
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bulb — for light
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. clip — to cut
  16. can — a tin
  17. bulb — for light
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. kick — in football
  21. perch — the fish
  22. rock — music
  23. net — after costs
  24. perch — for a bird

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