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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. snap — to click
  3. last — to go on
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bulb — for light
  6. ball — a dance
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. suit — in cards
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. wax — to grow
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. suit — clothes
  20. ball — a great time
  21. last — finally
  22. last — final
  23. suit — to fit
  24. calf — of the leg

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