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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: safe · band · spring · chest · wax · calf · fork · pound

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. band — a music group
  4. chest — of your body
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. chest — of your body
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — of water
  10. wax — to grow
  11. chest — a box
  12. spring — the season
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. pound — a weight
  19. band — a ring
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. fork — in a road

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