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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. lean — thin
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. pop — to visit
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. pop — soda
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. plane — a tool
  15. bat — the animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. pop — music
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. saw — the tool
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. wax — to grow
  24. saw — the tool

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