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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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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 · wave · pound · kid · bat · plane · calf · march

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. march — music
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. plane — a tool
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — the animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. march — the month
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — child
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. march — the month

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