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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wax — to grow
  6. spell — letters
  7. field — farmland
  8. cold — an illness
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. cold — not warm
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. field — a subject
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — a short time
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. cold — the Cold War

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