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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: calf · chest · bass · leaves · wake · wax · wound · net

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. net — after costs
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wax — to grow
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. chest — a box
  11. net — in sport
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. wake — a trail
  14. bass — the fish
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. net — for catching
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. chest — of your body
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wound — an injury
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bass — low music

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