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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. wound — an injury
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. mate — a partner
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wound — an injury
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. mate — a friend
  17. content — the amount
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. tube — a container
  20. plane — a tool
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. content — happy
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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