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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: club · track · calf · season · bank · face · land · wax

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  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. club — for golf
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a song
  6. club — a group
  7. face — to point toward
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. land — a country
  10. bank — of a river
  11. club — for dancing
  12. face — part of the head
  13. land — to come down
  14. wax — to grow
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. land — ground
  18. track — a path
  19. bank — for money
  20. face — to confront
  21. bank — for money
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — of the year
  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