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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. wax — to grow
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. hand — help
  8. cap — a hat
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. chest — a box
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bore — to tire
  15. hand — in cards
  16. chest — of your body
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bore — to drill
  20. saw — the tool
  21. cap — of ice
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. cap — a lid

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