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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. rock — a stone
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. key — for a lock
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rock — music
  7. court — for sport
  8. key — in music
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. key — the most important part
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. court — of law
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. court — of a king
  24. coach — a trainer

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