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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. content — the amount
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. content — happy
  7. root — of a word
  8. wax — to grow
  9. rash — a series
  10. scale — in music
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. craft — boats
  15. craft — a skill
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. scale — size or range
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. rash — hasty
  20. root — the cause
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. root — of a plant
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. calf — a young animal

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