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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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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: pop · race · chest · mate · wax · bay · calf · cap

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. mate — a friend
  3. chest — a box
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. race — the arms race
  7. chest — of your body
  8. mate — to breed
  9. pop — soda
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. cap — a lid
  14. cap — a hat
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. race — a contest
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. pop — to visit
  19. chest — of your body
  20. mate — a partner
  21. pop — music
  22. cap — of ice
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. race — humankind

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