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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: clip · ruler · craft · land · pop · stem · wax · swing

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. clip — a video
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. swing — to play on
  6. swing — music
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. craft — a skill
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. pop — music
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. pop — soda
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. land — a country
  15. land — ground
  16. swing — in golf
  17. stem — to come from
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. clip — for paper
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. clip — to cut
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. pop — to visit
  24. craft — boats

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