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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: rock · capital · jam · lean · staff · squash · wax · calf

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. rock — music
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. squash — to crush
  6. capital — a city
  7. lean — to bend
  8. rock — a stone
  9. capital — money
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. staff — employees
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. squash — the sport
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. staff — a stick
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. staff — employees
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — to grow
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. calf — a young animal

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