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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 120 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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. tube — a container
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. wax — to grow
  14. tube — the underground
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bear — the animal
  20. ball — a dance
  21. bat — the animal
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. ball — a great time
  24. tube — in a tire

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