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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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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 · stick · land · content · bear · fine · bay · clip

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. content — happy
  5. clip — for paper
  6. fine — high quality
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. land — a country
  9. bear — the animal
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. bear — the animal
  12. clip — a video
  13. fine — all right
  14. content — the amount
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. land — to come down
  19. wax — to grow
  20. land — ground
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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