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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. object — a thing
  3. clip — for paper
  4. object — an aim
  5. wax — to grow
  6. key — for a lock
  7. perch — the fish
  8. chest — of your body
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. object — to protest
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pass — a permit
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. clip — a video
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. key — the most important part
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. chest — a box
  21. wind — moving air
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. clip — to cut

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