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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. wax — to grow
  4. spell — letters
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. object — a thing
  7. staff — employees
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. spell — a short time
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. staff — a stick
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. staff — employees
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. kid — child
  21. object — an aim
  22. kid — to tease
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. spell — magic

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