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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bore — to tire
  4. capital — money
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. capital — a city
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. cue — a signal
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. plane — a tool
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. cue — a hint
  22. perch — the fish
  23. cue — for pool
  24. bore — to drill

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