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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. fall — the season
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. sharp — clever
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wound — an injury
  18. saw — the tool
  19. board — a committee
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — an illness
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. fall — to drop

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