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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: ball · last · wax · calf · drill · cabinet · field · kid

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. kid — to tease
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — for sport
  8. drill — the tool
  9. wax — to grow
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. kid — child
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. ball — a dance
  16. last — finally
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. drill — a practice
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. last — to go on
  22. ball — a great time
  23. last — final
  24. field — farmland

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