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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. root — the cause
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — in golf
  5. current — electric
  6. swing — music
  7. bound — certain
  8. bound — tied together
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bound — obliged
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. capital — a city
  14. mate — to breed
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. root — of a plant
  17. mate — a partner
  18. root — of a word
  19. current — of water
  20. mate — a friend
  21. wax — to grow
  22. current — happening now
  23. capital — money
  24. calf — a young animal

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