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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: wax · tear · ground · calf · deal · wind · mug · pitcher

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. tear — from crying
  4. deal — to handle
  5. mug — a face
  6. ground — the earth
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. ground — a position
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. mug — a cup
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. tear — to rip
  19. mug — to rob
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. ground — crushed
  23. wax — to grow
  24. calf — of the leg

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