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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: leaves · capital · wind · branch · wax · game · press · calf

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. wind — moving air
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — to push
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. capital — money
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — to grow
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. game — a match
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. capital — a city
  18. wind — moving air
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. press — newspapers
  23. branch — a division
  24. game — wild animals

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