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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. cold — not warm
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. foot — a measure
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. cold — an illness
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bay — a horse colour

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