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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: clip · row · wax · pit · fine · pass · leaves · pound

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. pit — a hole
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — high quality
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. row — a line
  8. clip — a video
  9. wax — to grow
  10. clip — for paper
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. pit — in a race
  14. clip — to cut
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. row — to paddle
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pound — a weight
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. pass — a permit

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