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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. mark — a grade
  3. stock — goods
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. clip — to cut
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bear — the animal
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. can — a tin
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. can — to be able to
  13. shower — to wash
  14. clip — a video
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. mark — a trace
  17. stock — shares
  18. clip — for paper
  19. shower — rain
  20. wax — to grow
  21. can — a tin
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. bear — the animal

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