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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. file — a document
  5. mine — for digging
  6. file — a line of people
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. key — in music
  9. key — for a lock
  10. row — to paddle
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. file — a tool
  17. rush — hurry
  18. key — the most important part
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. row — a line

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