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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. wax — to grow
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. object — a thing
  5. clip — for paper
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. object — to protest
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. clip — to cut
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. capital — a city
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. chair — a leader
  18. object — an aim
  19. clip — a video
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. capital — money
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. kick — a thrill

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