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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 120 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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. spell — magic
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. last — final
  6. key — the most important part
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. key — in music
  10. mug — to rob
  11. root — the cause
  12. root — of a plant
  13. root — of a word
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. last — to go on
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mug — a face
  19. spell — letters
  20. pass — a permit
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. last — finally
  23. key — for a lock
  24. spell — a short time

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