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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. mine — for digging
  5. band — a music group
  6. spring — the season
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cue — for pool
  10. wax — to grow
  11. band — a ring
  12. court — of law
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. court — for sport
  17. spring — a coil
  18. cue — a signal
  19. wake — a trail
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. court — of a king
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. spring — of water
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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