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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bark — to shout
  3. rock — a stone
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. rock — music
  8. bass — the fish
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bass — low music
  11. game — a match
  12. content — happy
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bound — tied together
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. content — the amount
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — obliged

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