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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: jam · calf · march · wake · lash · date · wax · saw

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — to grow
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. march — music
  6. saw — the tool
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. march — the month
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. march — the month
  13. saw — the tool
  14. date — the fruit
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. wake — a trail
  24. calf — of the leg

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