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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wax — to grow
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. kick — in football
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. rest — what's left
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. fine — all right
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. cell — in biology
  14. rest — what's left
  15. fine — high quality
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. cell — a phone
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. rest — a break
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. wax — in the ear

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