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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 116 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: wound · ball · calf · saw · leaves · wax · march · suit

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. suit — to fit
  3. ball — a dance
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. march — the month
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. saw — the tool
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. suit — in cards
  12. wax — to grow
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. suit — clothes
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. saw — the tool
  20. ball — a great time
  21. march — music
  22. wound — an injury
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. march — the month

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