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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: band · mouse · wax · row · calf · last · fork · shower

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. shower — to wash
  4. last — to go on
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. last — final
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. row — a line
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. band — a ring
  15. wax — to grow
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. last — finally
  19. shower — rain
  20. band — a music group
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. fork — in a road

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