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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. wax — to grow
  4. branch — a division
  5. object — a thing
  6. club — a group
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. club — for golf
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of law
  14. court — of a king
  15. object — an aim
  16. last — final
  17. club — for dancing
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. last — finally
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. rash — hasty
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. object — to protest

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