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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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. chair — a leader
  5. mark — a trace
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. rush — hurry
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. wax — to grow
  14. hand — in cards
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — in music
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — help
  22. mark — a grade
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. rush — to hurry

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