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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. rash — a series
  3. cold — not warm
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. club — a group
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. scale — in music
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. wax — to grow
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a music group
  16. club — for dancing
  17. rash — hasty
  18. cold — an illness
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. club — for golf
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — to trim
  24. calf — a young animal

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