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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 120 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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. march — the month
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. content — happy
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. march — music
  11. wind — moving air
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. pound — a weight
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. content — the amount
  20. wax — to grow
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. march — the month
  23. deal — to handle
  24. wind — to turn a key

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