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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: row · saw · date · nail · last · wax · calf · branch

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. row — to paddle
  3. row — a line
  4. saw — the tool
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. saw — the tool
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. branch — a division
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. last — final
  22. last — finally
  23. last — to go on
  24. date — the fruit

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