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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
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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: root · land · calf · wax · drill · bound · bowl · cue

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. land — a country
  4. cue — a signal
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. root — the cause
  7. drill — a practice
  8. land — ground
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bound — tied together
  11. land — to come down
  12. cue — for pool
  13. bound — obliged
  14. drill — the tool
  15. cue — a hint
  16. root — of a word
  17. root — of a plant
  18. bound — certain
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. wax — to grow
  24. drill — army training

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