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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. object — a thing
  4. object — to protest
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. dip — to sink
  12. object — an aim
  13. race — the arms race
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. deal — to handle
  16. branch — a division
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. race — a contest
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. race — humankind
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. wax — to grow
  24. leaves — lets stay

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