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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. kick — in football
  4. last — to go on
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. last — final
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. mark — a trace
  11. wax — to grow
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. bark — to shout
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. rash — a series
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. mark — a grade
  21. rash — hasty
  22. vault — a safe
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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