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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: mine · chair · key · wax · clip · dip · hand · suit

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. key — in music
  4. key — for a lock
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. dip — to sink
  7. suit — to fit
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. wax — to grow
  12. hand — help
  13. clip — to cut
  14. key — the most important part
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. suit — clothes
  17. clip — a video
  18. chair — a leader
  19. hand — in cards
  20. mine — for digging
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. suit — in cards
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. wax — for sculpting

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