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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — from crying
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. kick — in football
  17. wax — to grow
  18. tear — to rip
  19. snap — to click
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. date — the fruit
  24. mouse — for a computer

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