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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. march — the month
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. wake — a trail
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. rush — hurry
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. march — music
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. wind — moving air
  23. march — the month
  24. ruler — for measuring

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