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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 124 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. rest — a break
  6. present — there
  7. spell — a short time
  8. wax — to grow
  9. present — a gift
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. spell — magic
  12. saw — the tool
  13. present — the time now
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. spell — letters
  18. rest — what's left
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. saw — the tool
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. lash — an eyelash

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