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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wax — to grow
  5. root — of a plant
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bear — the animal
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. fall — the season
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. root — of a word
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. root — the cause
  20. date — the fruit
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — for digging
  24. date — on the calendar

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