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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. wax — to grow
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. root — the cause
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. swing — to play on
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — to tease
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. last — to go on
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. swing — music
  18. last — finally
  19. last — final
  20. swing — in golf
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. fork — in a road
  23. root — of a word
  24. root — of a plant

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