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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 120 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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. spell — a short time
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. march — the month
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. spell — magic
  10. wax — to grow
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — an illness
  16. spell — letters
  17. march — the month
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. march — music

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