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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: clip · wax · ruler · bay · wake · rule

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. rule — a law
  6. rule — government
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. wax — to grow
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. wake — a trail
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. clip — for paper
  17. clip — to cut
  18. clip — a video

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