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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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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: coach · band · pound · kid · lean · fall · wax · calf

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. wax — to grow
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. lean — thin
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. band — a ring
  9. kid — child
  10. pound — a weight
  11. kid — to tease
  12. band — a music group
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. fall — to drop
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. fall — the season
  18. lean — to bend
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. fall — to drop
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. band — a rubber band

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