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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: march · ball · net · wax · calf · bay · nail · bore

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. march — music
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. ball — a dance
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bore — to tire
  12. march — the month
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. net — for catching
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. net — after costs
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. march — the month
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. ball — a great time
  22. net — in sport
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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