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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. wax — to grow
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. last — finally
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. field — for sport
  9. last — to go on
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. last — final
  12. kick — in football
  13. field — a subject
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — happy
  17. field — farmland
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. perch — the fish
  23. content — the amount
  24. perch — for a bird

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