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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. spring — the season
  4. tube — a container
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. fork — in a road
  7. branch — a division
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. ground — the earth
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wax — to grow
  15. spring — of water
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. spring — a coil
  20. ground — a position
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. ground — crushed
  24. tube — the underground

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