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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stand · squash · wax · date · drill · calf · bore · degree

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. drill — army training
  4. degree — an amount
  5. date — the fruit
  6. squash — to crush
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bore — to drill
  12. drill — the tool
  13. drill — a practice
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. wax — to grow
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bore — to tire
  21. stand — to bear
  22. degree — temperature
  23. degree — from a university
  24. wax — for sculpting

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