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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. firm — decided
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — to grow
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. ground — crushed
  10. firm — a company
  11. rash — a series
  12. ground — the earth
  13. mug — a face
  14. tube — the underground
  15. mug — a cup
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. tube — a container
  18. firm — steady
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. rash — hasty
  21. mug — to rob
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — a big letter

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