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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: temple · wax · fan · march · straw · field · squash · calf

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  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. field — farmland
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. march — the month
  4. field — a subject
  5. march — music
  6. field — for sport
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. wax — to grow
  9. squash — to crush
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. march — the month
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. squash — the sport
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. fan — a supporter
  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