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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 120 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: safe · clip · wax · craft · cue · mine · bear · bay

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. bear — the animal
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. bear — the animal
  6. clip — a video
  7. cue — a signal
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. wax — to grow
  13. cue — a hint
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. cue — for pool
  17. craft — boats
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. craft — a skill
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. mine — an explosive

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