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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 120 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: mouse · wax · field · club · prune · sharp · bat · calf

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bat — the animal
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — for sport
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. sharp — clever
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. field — a subject
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. club — for golf
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wax — to grow
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. club — for dancing
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. club — a group
  23. prune — to trim
  24. mouse — the 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