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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. staff — employees
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. rash — a series
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. court — of a king
  9. staff — employees
  10. court — for sport
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. branch — a division
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. vault — a safe
  19. staff — a stick
  20. rash — hasty
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. kick — in football
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. court — of law

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