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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 116 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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. wind — moving air
  4. file — a line of people
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. file — a document
  13. ball — a great time
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. file — a tool
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. mine — for digging
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — to grow
  24. calf — a young animal

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