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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: key · drill · clip · wax · mate · spell · sharp · dip

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. clip — a video
  3. spell — a short time
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. mate — a partner
  7. wax — to grow
  8. key — the most important part
  9. key — for a lock
  10. spell — letters
  11. clip — for paper
  12. drill — the tool
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. mate — a friend
  15. drill — a practice
  16. key — in music
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. drill — army training
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. spell — magic
  21. mate — to breed
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. clip — to cut

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