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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bank — for money
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. field — a subject
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. date — the fruit
  11. wax — to grow
  12. craft — a skill
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bank — for money
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. field — for sport
  18. snap — to click
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. craft — boats
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. field — farmland
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. bank — of a river

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