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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: calf · wax · field · stick · mine · chip · squash · bowl

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. squash — the sport
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. field — for sport
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. chip — to eat
  14. chip — for betting
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. field — a subject
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. field — farmland
  21. mine — for digging
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. squash — to crush
  24. bowl — to roll

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