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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 116 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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. snap — to click
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. can — a tin
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. land — ground
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. degree — an amount
  14. land — to come down
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. last — final
  18. last — to go on
  19. can — a tin
  20. degree — temperature
  21. land — a country
  22. can — to be able to
  23. degree — from a university
  24. last — finally

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