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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 116 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wax · current · bowl · calf · press · last

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. press — to push
  5. press — newspapers
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — of water
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. last — final
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. last — finally
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — to grow
  15. press — a publisher
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. last — to go on
  18. current — electric

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