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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. chip — for betting
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bear — the animal
  7. cold — not warm
  8. foot — a measure
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bear — the animal
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cold — an illness
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. wound — an injury
  20. chip — to eat
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. wax — to grow
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. coach — a trainer

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