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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. drill — the tool
  3. degree — an amount
  4. drill — army training
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. tear — to rip
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. season — in sport
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. drill — a practice
  15. kick — in football
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. snap — to click
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. tear — from crying
  20. degree — from a university
  21. season — of the year
  22. degree — temperature
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. tear — from crying

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