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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 116 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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. kid — child
  3. content — happy
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. wax — to grow
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. kid — to tease
  8. wind — moving air
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. sharp — clever
  17. wind — moving air
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. content — the amount
  21. pass — a permit
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. sharp — with an edge

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