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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. file — a tool
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bear — the animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. mark — a trace
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. spell — a short time
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. mark — a grade
  12. spell — letters
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. spell — magic
  18. file — a line of people
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. deal — to handle
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. cell — in biology
  24. file — a document

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