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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: perch · bowl · wake · calf · cap · wax · lean · root

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — a lid
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. lean — to bend
  8. wake — a trail
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. root — of a plant
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. perch — the fish
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. lean — thin
  18. root — of a word
  19. wax — to grow
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. root — the cause
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. calf — a young animal

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