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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 don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. spell — letters
  6. kid — child
  7. fine — all right
  8. spell — magic
  9. fine — high quality
  10. squash — the sport
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. spell — a short time
  14. squash — to crush
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — to grow
  17. bear — the animal
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. kid — to tease
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. snap — to click

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