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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: date · calf · bat · patient · press · wax · bay · net

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. date — the fruit
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. net — in sport
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. net — after costs
  16. press — a publisher
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. wax — to grow
  19. net — for catching
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. press — to push
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. press — newspapers

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