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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. saw — the tool
  4. tube — a container
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mark — a grade
  7. cold — not warm
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. ground — the earth
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. wax — to grow
  14. saw — the tool
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. ground — a position
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. net — after costs
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. net — for catching
  22. ground — crushed
  23. cold — an illness
  24. net — in sport

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