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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: wound · bank · mate · calf · rest · jam · last · wax

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. rest — what's left
  4. mate — to breed
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mate — a friend
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. bank — for money
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. rest — a break
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. last — final
  18. bank — of a river
  19. rest — what's left
  20. mate — a partner
  21. bank — for money
  22. last — finally
  23. last — to go on
  24. jam — a tight spot

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