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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 looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. degree — temperature
  5. rush — hurry
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wax — to grow
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. date — the fruit
  15. wound — an injury
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. plane — a tool
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. pitch — completely
  21. degree — from a university
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. degree — an amount
  24. wax — for sculpting

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