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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. spell — magic
  3. root — of a word
  4. wax — to grow
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. root — the cause
  7. race — the arms race
  8. spell — letters
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. race — a contest
  13. root — of a plant
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. race — humankind
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. sharp — clever
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. tear — to rip

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