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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  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. hand — help
  2. wax — to grow
  3. hand — in cards
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. chip — for betting
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. chip — to eat
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. shower — to wash
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bulb — for light
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bulb — for light
  20. shower — rain
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. wax — for sculpting
  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