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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: jam · lie · wax · pop · clip · bat · spring · foot

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. lie — to recline
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — music
  11. wax — to grow
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bat — the animal
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. spring — the season
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. clip — to cut
  19. foot — a measure
  20. clip — for paper
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. pop — to visit
  24. spring — of water

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