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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.

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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: wax · fall · pitcher · kick · calf · rock · date · straw

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. fall — the season
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. rock — music
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. wax — to grow
  17. fall — to drop
  18. date — the fruit
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. rock — a stone
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. kick — in football

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