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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. band — a music group
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. squash — to crush
  10. ball — a great time
  11. wax — to grow
  12. spell — a short time
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. squash — the sport
  16. band — a ring
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — magic
  23. ball — a dance
  24. mine — for digging

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