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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 116 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're almost out of ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — music
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. wax — to grow
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. row — to paddle
  9. wake — a trail
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. stem — to come from
  13. row — a line
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. pop — to visit
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. straw — dry grass

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