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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.

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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. cell — in biology
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. hand — in cards
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. field — for sport
  11. cell — a phone
  12. field — farmland
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — to grow
  19. field — a subject
  20. snap — to click
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. hand — help

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