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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. wax — to grow
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. ground — a position
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. ground — crushed
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. ground — the earth
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bark — to shout

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