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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. club — a group
  3. staff — employees
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. perch — the fish
  6. scale — in music
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. wax — to grow
  10. staff — a stick
  11. stem — to come from
  12. scale — size or range
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. rule — a law
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. club — for dancing
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. club — for golf
  23. staff — employees
  24. rule — to rule out

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