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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. wax — to grow
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. spring — a coil
  6. kick — in football
  7. wind — moving air
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. wind — moving air
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. roll — a cake
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. spring — the season
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. spring — of water
  21. roll — a list
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. wax — for sculpting

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