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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. last — finally
  4. fall — to drop
  5. lean — thin
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bore — to tire
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. swing — music
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. fall — the season
  13. swing — to play on
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bore — to drill
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. swing — in golf
  18. lean — to bend
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. last — final
  21. fall — to drop
  22. cold — not warm
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wax — to grow

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