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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. cold — an illness
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wax — to grow
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. fork — in a road
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a dance
  13. press — to push
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. saw — the tool
  16. press — newspapers
  17. mug — a face
  18. ball — a great time
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. press — a publisher
  21. cold — not warm
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. mug — to rob

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