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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 116 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 · straw · spring · fall · perch · clip · kick · object

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. clip — to cut
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. fall — to drop
  5. wax — to grow
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. object — a thing
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. spring — a coil
  10. clip — a video
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. spring — the season
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. spring — of water
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. object — to protest
  18. fall — to drop
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. kick — in football
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. clip — for paper
  23. object — an aim
  24. perch — the fish

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