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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. wound — an injury
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. kick — in football
  8. band — a music group
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. craft — boats
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. mark — a grade
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. wound — an injury
  17. craft — a skill
  18. mark — a trace
  19. band — a ring
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. rush — hurry
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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