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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. wax — to grow
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. bore — to drill
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. race — humankind
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. bore — to tire
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. kick — in football
  17. rush — hurry
  18. race — the arms race
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. race — a contest
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. season — of the year

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