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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: calf · hand · track · nail · season · wax · leaves · swing

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. swing — in golf
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. swing — music
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. swing — to play on
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. season — in sport
  11. hand — in cards
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a song
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. hand — help
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. track — a path
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wax — to grow

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