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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. wax — to grow
  3. cell — a phone
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bore — to drill
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bore — to tire
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. cell — in biology
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — what's left
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. rest — a break
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. bowl — a dish

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