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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 haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. roll — a cake
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. row — to paddle
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. wax — to grow
  10. craft — a skill
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pop — soda
  13. row — a line
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. pop — music
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. pop — to visit
  21. craft — boats
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. roll — a list
  24. fan — to cool the air

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