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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. ground — a position
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. key — for a lock
  7. key — in music
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. ball — a great time
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wax — to grow
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. key — the most important part
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. prune — to trim
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — crushed
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. deal — to handle
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. fan — to cool the air

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