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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — money
  6. bear — the animal
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. stand — to bear
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bear — the animal
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. squash — the sport
  15. kick — in football
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. capital — a city
  18. rush — hurry
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. squash — to crush
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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