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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. cap — a hat
  5. ground — the earth
  6. cap — a lid
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — a short time
  13. stock — shares
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. stock — goods
  16. spell — letters
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. ground — a position
  21. cap — of ice
  22. lie — to recline
  23. wax — to grow
  24. lie — an untruth

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