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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 116 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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468
Word bank
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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. pit — in a race
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. file — a document
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. rash — a series
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wax — to grow
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. root — of a plant
  13. root — the cause
  14. file — a line of people
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. rest — a break
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. file — a tool
  20. rash — hasty
  21. pit — a hole
  22. root — of a word
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. wave — of the sea

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