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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: wax · mate · pit · cap · chest · prune · calf · foot

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. cap — a hat
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. cap — a lid
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. chest — a box
  9. mate — a friend
  10. chest — of your body
  11. prune — to trim
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. mate — a partner
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wax — to grow
  16. pit — in a race
  17. cap — of ice
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pit — a hole
  21. mate — to breed
  22. foot — a measure
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. foot — 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