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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. object — an aim
  5. spell — letters
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. foot — a measure
  9. rock — music
  10. object — a thing
  11. fine — high quality
  12. wax — to grow
  13. rock — a stone
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. mark — a trace
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mark — a grade
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. object — to protest
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. fine — all right
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — a short time

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