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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. kid — to tease
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. bark — to shout
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. kid — child
  16. wax — to grow
  17. fall — the season
  18. rash — a series
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. fall — to drop
  21. rash — hasty
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. fall — to drop

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