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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 120 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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mug — a face
  5. fine — high quality
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. mug — a cup
  15. fine — all right
  16. rest — a break
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. capital — money
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. capital — a city
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. rest — what's left

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