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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. bound — obliged
  3. rock — a stone
  4. spring — a coil
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. kid — child
  9. march — the month
  10. spring — the season
  11. march — music
  12. spring — of water
  13. march — the month
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. rock — music
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bound — tied together
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. bound — certain
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. toast — bread
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. kid — to tease
  24. wax — to grow

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