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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. swing — in golf
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. spring — a coil
  6. swing — to play on
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. wax — to grow
  10. sharp — clever
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. spring — of water
  14. rule — a law
  15. spring — the season
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. rule — government
  24. swing — music

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