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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: wax · face · racket · bat · mark · club · stem · calf

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. face — to confront
  5. mark — a trace
  6. face — to point toward
  7. club — for dancing
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. stem — to come from
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bat — the animal
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. mark — a grade
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. club — for golf
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. club — a group
  24. wax — to grow

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