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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — to wash
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a trace
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — in sport
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. shower — rain
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. date — the fruit
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. mark — a grade

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