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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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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. fall — to drop
  5. foot — a measure
  6. fall — to drop
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. squash — to crush
  14. wax — to grow
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. squash — the sport
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. sharp — clever
  22. net — for catching
  23. fall — the season
  24. net — after costs

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