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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. can — to be able to
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — a position
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. rash — a series
  11. can — a tin
  12. bore — to tire
  13. can — a tin
  14. rash — hasty
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. deal — to handle
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. bore — to drill
  24. calf — of the leg

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