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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: present · safe · rule · wax · hand · clip · bulb · leaves

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. present — the time now
  3. present — a gift
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. clip — for paper
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. hand — help
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. bulb — for light
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. present — there
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bulb — for light
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — to cut
  19. rule — government
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. rule — a law

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