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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. spell — letters
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. spell — magic
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. spell — a short time
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. bark — to shout
  21. wax — to grow
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. pass — a permit

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