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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. dip — to sink
  4. march — the month
  5. rash — hasty
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. march — music
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bore — to tire
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bore — to drill
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. rash — a series
  20. march — the month
  21. saw — the tool
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — in the ear

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