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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. wax — to grow
  3. club — for golf
  4. plane — a tool
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. bore — to drill
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. club — a group
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. track — a song
  12. last — finally
  13. bore — to tire
  14. stand — to bear
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. last — final
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. track — to keep track
  19. last — to go on
  20. track — a path
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. club — for dancing
  24. wax — for sculpting

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