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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. can — to be able to
  7. mark — a grade
  8. wax — to grow
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. mark — a trace
  12. capital — a city
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. can — a tin
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. capital — money
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. can — a tin
  24. capital — a big letter

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