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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  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. bay — to keep at bay
  2. cap — a lid
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. spring — a coil
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — to grow
  9. spring — of water
  10. cap — of ice
  11. rash — hasty
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. ground — the earth
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. ground — a position
  16. rash — a series
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. cap — a hat
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — to crush
  22. spring — the season
  23. ground — crushed
  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