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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. land — a country
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. snap — to click
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. bound — certain
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. mine — for digging
  13. land — to come down
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. land — ground
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. wax — to grow
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bound — tied together
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bound — obliged
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. arm — part of the body

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