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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. pound — a weight
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. clip — to cut
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. clip — for paper
  15. net — after costs
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. wax — to grow
  20. net — in sport
  21. clip — a video
  22. net — for catching
  23. snap — to click
  24. pound — for dogs

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