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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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Word bank
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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 · plane · wax · march · kid · bear · charge · wave

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. plane — a tool
  3. kid — child
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. charge — a price
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. kid — to tease
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. clip — a video
  14. charge — electricity
  15. march — the month
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. bear — the animal
  18. clip — for paper
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. charge — in control
  22. march — music
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. march — the month

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