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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. wax — to grow
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. prune — to trim
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. rule — a law
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. rule — government
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. wind — moving air
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. rush — hurry

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