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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  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. staff — employees
  2. capital — money
  3. branch — a division
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. wax — to grow
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. kick — in football
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. capital — a city
  14. staff — employees
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. staff — a stick
  17. deal — to handle
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. bear — the animal
  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