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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bay · march · wax · hand · fall · calf · mug · foot

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  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. wax — for sculpting
  2. hand — help
  3. mug — a face
  4. march — music
  5. foot — a measure
  6. hand — in cards
  7. mug — to rob
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. wax — to grow
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. march — the month
  17. mug — a cup
  18. march — the month
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. foot — the bottom
  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