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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.

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: wake · clip · squash · row · wax · staff · bear · key

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. squash — to crush
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. key — in music
  5. row — a line
  6. staff — employees
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. row — to paddle
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. staff — employees
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. key — for a lock
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bear — the animal
  17. clip — for paper
  18. staff — a stick
  19. key — the most important part
  20. bear — the animal
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. clip — to cut
  24. wake — before a funeral

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