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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bear — the animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. hand — in cards
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — to recline
  13. bat — the animal
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. scale — in music
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bear — the animal
  20. scale — size or range
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. hand — help
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wax — to grow

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