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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. capital — a city
  3. wax — to grow
  4. club — for golf
  5. prune — to trim
  6. club — a group
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. prune — to trim
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — in football
  14. fall — the season
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. fall — to drop
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. club — for dancing
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. fall — to drop
  24. capital — money

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