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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. rule — government
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. bark — to shout
  8. roll — a cake
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. wax — to grow
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. rule — a law
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. roll — a list
  20. plane — a tool
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. trunk — of a tree

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