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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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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: hand · wound · calf · wax · shower · cabinet · march · squash

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. shower — to wash
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. squash — the sport
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. wound — an injury
  8. hand — in cards
  9. wax — to grow
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. march — the month
  16. squash — to crush
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. shower — rain
  19. hand — help
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. march — the month
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. march — music

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