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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 120 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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. ball — a dance
  5. degree — an amount
  6. cue — a signal
  7. bulb — for light
  8. face — to point toward
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. face — to confront
  11. cue — a hint
  12. degree — from a university
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — a division
  18. degree — temperature
  19. face — part of the head
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. cue — for pool
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. bulb — for light
  24. wax — to grow

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