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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.

Make a worksheet

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: chair · wax · wave · drill · track · rule · current · clip

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. rule — government
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a song
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. current — happening now
  11. clip — for paper
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. drill — a practice
  14. current — electric
  15. clip — to cut
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. current — of water
  18. rule — a law
  19. drill — the tool
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chair — a leader
  22. wax — to grow
  23. drill — army training
  24. track — a path

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