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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. cell — in biology
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. saw — the tool
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — child
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — of a river
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. cell — a phone
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bank — for money
  21. wind — moving air
  22. saw — the tool
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. wind — moving air

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