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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: nail · clip · scale · dip · pit · racket · wind · wax

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. dip — to sink
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. clip — a video
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. pit — a hole
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. scale — in music
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — to cut
  12. scale — size or range
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pit — in a race
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wax — to grow

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