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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: staff · wave · lean · content · cue · march · land · calf

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. march — the month
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. land — ground
  5. staff — employees
  6. lean — to bend
  7. land — a country
  8. staff — a stick
  9. lean — thin
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. march — music
  12. land — to come down
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cue — a signal
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. staff — employees
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. cue — for pool
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. content — the amount
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. march — the month

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