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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  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. bear — the animal
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bass — low music
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. file — a document
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. dip — to sink
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bass — the fish
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. fine — high quality
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. file — a tool
  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