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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 120 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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. prune — to trim
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. pitch — completely
  9. rash — a series
  10. plane — a tool
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. rash — hasty
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. prune — to trim
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. wax — to grow
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. lie — to recline
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wax — for sculpting

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