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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 116 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: nail · snap · wax · root · present · straw · game · calf

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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. calf — of the leg
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. game — wild animals
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. game — a match
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. present — a gift
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. snap — to click
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. root — of a word
  19. root — of a plant
  20. root — the cause
  21. present — the time now
  22. wax — to grow
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. present — there

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