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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. kid — child
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. perch — the fish
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. kid — to tease
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bass — low music
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. ball — a dance
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — in cards
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bass — the fish
  24. ball — a great time

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