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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: snap · sharp · clip · wax · safe · file · capital · wound

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. clip — a video
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. clip — for paper
  6. file — a tool
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wound — an injury
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. wax — to grow
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. snap — to click
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. clip — to cut
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. file — a line of people
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. capital — money
  23. sharp — clever
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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