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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 124 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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. staff — employees
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. wax — to grow
  10. rush — hurry
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. capital — a city
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. capital — money
  17. staff — a stick
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. staff — employees
  24. branch — a division

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