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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. craft — a skill
  5. sharp — clever
  6. object — an aim
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. charge — a price
  9. object — a thing
  10. craft — boats
  11. band — a music group
  12. last — to go on
  13. charge — electricity
  14. wax — to grow
  15. band — a ring
  16. charge — in control
  17. last — finally
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. object — to protest
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. last — final

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