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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. ball — a dance
  6. stand — to bear
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. hand — in cards
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. face — to confront
  17. hand — help
  18. face — part of the head
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. ball — a great time
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. rock — a stone
  23. wax — to grow
  24. face — to point toward

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