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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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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 · wound · kick · rest · rule · current · clip · pound

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. wound — an injury
  3. clip — to cut
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. clip — a video
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rule — a law
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. current — happening now
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. wound — an injury
  14. rest — what's left
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. rest — a break
  17. current — of water
  18. wax — to grow
  19. kick — in football
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. current — electric
  22. rule — government
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. kick — with a leg

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