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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 124 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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. face — to confront
  6. squash — the sport
  7. row — a line
  8. squash — to crush
  9. band — a ring
  10. face — part of the head
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. face — to point toward
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. wax — to grow
  19. band — a music group
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. march — the month
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — to paddle

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