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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: dip · fall · wax · wound · field · calf · leaves · shower

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. shower — to wash
  5. fall — the season
  6. dip — to sink
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. field — farmland
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. field — a subject
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. shower — rain
  16. fall — to drop
  17. wound — an injury
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. field — for sport
  23. wound — an injury
  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