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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. board — a committee
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bat — the animal
  9. land — ground
  10. land — a country
  11. fall — the season
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. board — to get on
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. land — to come down
  24. fall — to drop

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