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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: land · track · saw · clip · suit · firm · wax · bound

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. land — ground
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. clip — for paper
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. track — to keep track
  7. firm — decided
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. suit — clothes
  11. wax — to grow
  12. firm — steady
  13. land — a country
  14. track — a path
  15. bound — obliged
  16. firm — a company
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. track — a song
  19. bound — tied together
  20. clip — to cut
  21. bound — certain
  22. suit — to fit
  23. land — to come down
  24. suit — in cards

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