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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. shower — to wash
  5. pass — a permit
  6. shower — rain
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. can — a tin
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — the animal
  12. wax — to grow
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — farmland
  15. mate — to breed
  16. mate — a friend
  17. can — to be able to
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. mate — a partner
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. field — a subject
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. wax — for sculpting

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