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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: perch · bay · wax · present · clip · calf · dip · plane

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. present — there
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. present — the time now
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. clip — a video
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. clip — for paper
  10. present — a gift
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. plane — a tool
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. dip — to sink
  17. perch — the fish
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. wax — to grow
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wax — in the ear

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