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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. prune — to trim
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bear — the animal
  6. wind — moving air
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. sharp — clever
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. wax — to grow
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bear — the animal
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wind — moving air

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