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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. season — in sport
  4. face — to confront
  5. face — part of the head
  6. season — of the year
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. kick — in football
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. ground — crushed
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. ground — the earth
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. face — to point toward
  19. ground — a position
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. wax — in the ear

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