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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 120 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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. rock — a stone
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. rock — music
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. spring — of water
  16. wax — to grow
  17. spring — a coil
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. spring — the season
  20. wound — an injury
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. patient — a sick person

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