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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — a position
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. mug — to rob
  7. game — a match
  8. row — to paddle
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. ground — crushed
  11. row — a line
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. wax — to grow
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. mug — a face
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. mug — a cup
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. game — wild animals
  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