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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: snap · calf · track · ground · wax · shower · nail · wind

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  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. calf — a young animal
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. track — a song
  4. wind — moving air
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. ground — crushed
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. ground — a position
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. track — a path
  12. track — to keep track
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. ground — the earth
  15. snap — to click
  16. shower — rain
  17. wax — to grow
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wind — moving air
  21. shower — to wash
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. wind — to turn a key
  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