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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.

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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: sharp · wax · perch · clip · land · rock · net · kick

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. rock — a stone
  3. clip — a video
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. perch — the fish
  6. net — for catching
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. wax — to grow
  10. kick — in football
  11. net — in sport
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. clip — for paper
  14. rock — music
  15. sharp — clever
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. land — a country
  18. land — to come down
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. net — after costs
  23. land — ground
  24. clip — to cut

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