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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. wax — to grow
  4. bat — the animal
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. dip — to sink
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. season — of the year
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. season — in sport
  20. saw — the tool
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. saw — the tool
  24. wax — in the ear

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