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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. ball — a dance
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. land — ground
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — a phone
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. land — to come down
  12. wax — to grow
  13. ball — a great time
  14. bear — the animal
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — for sport
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. land — a country
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. wax — for sculpting

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