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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 120 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. last — to go on
  4. staff — employees
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. staff — a stick
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. lean — to bend
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. last — final
  17. face — part of the head
  18. wax — to grow
  19. face — to confront
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. face — to point toward
  23. lean — thin
  24. staff — employees

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