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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. wound — an injury
  9. face — part of the head
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. kid — to tease
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. plane — a tool
  15. face — to confront
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. face — to point toward
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. kid — child
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wax — to grow
  22. vault — a safe
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. plane — an aircraft

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