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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: leaves · dip · ground · file · saw · calf · wax · squash

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. file — a tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. squash — to crush
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. ground — a position
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. squash — the sport
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. file — a document
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. file — a line of people
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. ground — the earth
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. dip — to sink
  24. wax — to grow

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