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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: calf · rash · bear · wake · mine · squash · wax · court

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. court — of law
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. bear — the animal
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — for digging
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bear — the animal
  15. squash — the sport
  16. rash — hasty
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — for sport
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — to crush
  22. wake — a trail
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. rash — a series

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