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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. club — for dancing
  4. roll — a cake
  5. club — for golf
  6. fine — high quality
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. mate — a friend
  10. roll — a list
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mate — to breed
  15. wax — to grow
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. club — a group
  19. wind — moving air
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. mate — a partner
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — the fruit
  24. fine — all right

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