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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — to shout
  4. capital — money
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. squash — the sport
  8. charge — a price
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. charge — electricity
  15. band — a ring
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wax — to grow
  18. capital — a city
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. charge — in control
  22. squash — to crush
  23. band — a music group
  24. racket — for tennis

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