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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. spring — a coil
  3. rest — what's left
  4. spring — the season
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. can — a tin
  7. hand — in cards
  8. can — a tin
  9. rest — a break
  10. drill — the tool
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. spring — of water
  13. hand — help
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. drill — army training
  16. kick — in football
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. can — to be able to
  19. rest — what's left
  20. wax — to grow
  21. drill — a practice
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. arm — part of the body

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