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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.

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: pitcher · cell · racket · object · calf · wax · wake · last

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. last — final
  5. object — to protest
  6. last — finally
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. last — to go on
  10. wake — a trail
  11. object — a thing
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. object — an aim
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in biology
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. calf — of the leg

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