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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. rash — hasty
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. saw — the tool
  5. row — a line
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. game — a match
  8. wax — to grow
  9. rash — a series
  10. row — to paddle
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bulb — for light
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. game — wild animals
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bulb — for light

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