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

Word bank: pound · rule · calf · wind · wax · perch

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. perch — the fish
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — to grow
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. rule — government
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. rule — a law

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