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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mate · bear · bay · swing · clip · leaves · sharp · wax

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. wax — to grow
  4. bear — the animal
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. swing — in golf
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. swing — to play on
  11. mate — a partner
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bear — the animal
  14. mate — to breed
  15. clip — to cut
  16. mate — a friend
  17. sharp — clever
  18. clip — for paper
  19. swing — music
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. wax — for sculpting

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