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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 116 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. key — for a lock
  3. rest — a break
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. cap — of ice
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cap — a hat
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. key — in music
  10. rest — what's left
  11. cap — a lid
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. rest — what's left
  16. swing — in golf
  17. wax — to grow
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. key — the most important part
  20. swing — to play on
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. swing — music
  23. wax — in the ear
  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