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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. craft — a skill
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wax — to grow
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. craft — boats
  8. clip — for paper
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. present — a gift
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. spell — a short time
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. spell — letters
  17. present — there
  18. present — the time now
  19. clip — a video
  20. sharp — clever
  21. clip — to cut
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. spell — magic
  24. wax — in the ear

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