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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: mine · pit · foot · deal · clip · wax · kick · perch

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. pit — a hole
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. clip — a video
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. foot — a measure
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. kick — in football
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — to grow
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. mine — for digging
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. perch — the fish
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. pit — in a race
  19. deal — to handle
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — for paper

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