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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.

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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: wax · trunk · content · mark · net · clip · snap · leaves

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. clip — to cut
  3. mark — a trace
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. clip — a video
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. clip — for paper
  10. net — in sport
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. net — after costs
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. content — happy
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. mark — a grade
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. snap — to click
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. net — for catching
  24. wax — to grow

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