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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. rock — music
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. rock — a stone
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. pit — in a race
  9. branch — a division
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. pit — a hole
  13. ball — a great time
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. wax — to grow
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. wax — for sculpting

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