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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. roll — a list
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. kid — child
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. roll — a cake
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. kid — to tease
  24. straw — dry grass

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