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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 124 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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. key — the most important part
  3. tube — a container
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. tube — the underground
  6. capital — a city
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. wax — to grow
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. key — for a lock
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. key — in music
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. capital — money
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. fork — in a road
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — the sport
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. squash — to crush

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