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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — a match
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. wax — to grow
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. fall — the season
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fall — to drop
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. spring — the season
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. fall — to drop
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. spring — a coil
  19. pass — a permit
  20. game — wild animals
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. foot — a measure
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. spring — of water

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