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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. foot — a measure
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. degree — an amount
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. staff — employees
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. rest — what's left
  9. staff — employees
  10. rest — a break
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. staff — a stick
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — temperature
  17. rest — what's left
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. wax — to grow
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. calf — a young animal

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