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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. row — to paddle
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wind — moving air
  9. vault — a safe
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. pop — music
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. pop — soda
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. wind — moving air
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. row — a line
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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