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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 116 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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. court — of law
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bore — to tire
  5. court — of a king
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. march — music
  10. pound — a weight
  11. bore — to drill
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. march — the month
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. march — the month
  19. court — for sport
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bulb — for light
  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