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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. wax — to grow
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. court — for sport
  7. ground — a position
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. prune — to trim
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. foot — a measure
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. degree — temperature
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. ground — crushed
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. degree — an amount
  20. degree — from a university
  21. court — of law
  22. prune — to trim
  23. ground — the earth
  24. court — of a king

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