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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. wax — to grow
  4. deal — to handle
  5. wound — an injury
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chip — for betting
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. drill — a practice
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. drill — the tool
  18. march — the month
  19. foot — a measure
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. drill — army training
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  24. calf — a young animal

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