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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: fan · last · wax · bowl · branch · spring · bore · calf

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. last — final
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bore — to tire
  6. branch — a division
  7. last — finally
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. last — to go on
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — a coil
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. spring — of water
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bowl — a dish

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