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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. shower — to wash
  4. rash — hasty
  5. wax — to grow
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. chip — to eat
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. vault — a safe
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. chip — for betting
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. shower — rain
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. wax — in the ear

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