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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — to grow
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. spell — letters
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. spell — a short time
  10. current — happening now
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. current — of water
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. foot — a measure
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — clever
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. spell — magic
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. lash — an eyelash

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