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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 116 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.

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: spell · bore · kid · leaves · wax · clip · rash · calf

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. rash — hasty
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — a series
  6. bore — to tire
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. kid — child
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. clip — for paper
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — magic
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. bore — to drill
  18. spell — letters
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. wax — to grow
  21. clip — a video
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. kid — to tease
  24. clip — to cut

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