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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.

Make a worksheet

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: spell · field · content · calf · arm · mine · kick · wax

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. kick — in football
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. content — the amount
  6. wax — to grow
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. spell — magic
  9. field — for sport
  10. spell — letters
  11. field — farmland
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. field — a subject
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. mine — for digging
  18. content — happy
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. spell — a short time
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. arm — part of the body

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