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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stand — to bear
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. rash — hasty
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. wind — moving air
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. wax — to grow
  14. spell — magic
  15. stem — to come from
  16. rash — a series
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. spell — letters
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. wind — moving air
  23. spell — a short time
  24. wax — in the ear

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