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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. shower — rain
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. shower — to wash
  11. mug — a cup
  12. chest — a box
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wax — to grow
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. rush — hurry
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. can — a tin
  19. mug — to rob
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. can — to be able to
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. can — a tin
  24. cabinet — ministers

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