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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: cold · foot · hide · present · wax · date · calf · club

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. date — the fruit
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. club — for dancing
  11. club — a group
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. present — there
  14. cold — not warm
  15. present — the time now
  16. cold — an illness
  17. present — a gift
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. foot — a measure
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. foot — part of the body

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