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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: staff · pound · wax · mate · mug · ground · calf · tear

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. tear — to rip
  4. mug — a face
  5. pound — a weight
  6. ground — a position
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — to breed
  11. tear — from crying
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. mug — a cup
  15. ground — the earth
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. mug — to rob
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. staff — a stick
  21. tear — from crying
  22. staff — employees
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. ground — crushed

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