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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wax — to grow
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. drill — army training
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. pound — a weight
  9. drill — a practice
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. drill — the tool
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. kick — in football
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bark — to shout
  24. pound — to hit hard

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