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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. prune — to trim
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. toast — bread
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. swing — in golf
  11. cell — a phone
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. cell — in biology
  16. wax — to grow
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. rash — a series
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. swing — music
  23. swing — to play on
  24. prune — to trim

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