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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. kid — child
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. cap — a hat
  8. root — the cause
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. root — of a word
  11. kid — to tease
  12. wax — to grow
  13. lie — to recline
  14. scale — in music
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. root — of a plant
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cap — of ice
  21. scale — size or range
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. cabinet — ministers

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