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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 124 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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. fall — to drop
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. deal — to handle
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. spring — of water
  8. prune — to trim
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. foot — a measure
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. prune — to trim
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. fall — the season
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. spring — the season
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. spring — a coil
  24. plane — a tool

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