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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. spell — magic
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. court — of a king
  5. ground — crushed
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. staff — employees
  9. ground — the earth
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. kick — in football
  12. court — for sport
  13. wax — to grow
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. staff — employees
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — a short time
  20. ground — a position
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bulb — for light
  23. court — of law
  24. bulb — for light

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