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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  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. fine — high quality
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. saw — the tool
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. track — to keep track
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. foot — a measure
  12. wax — to grow
  13. track — a path
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. track — a song
  19. fine — all right
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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