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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: land · stand · ball · wax · shower · calf · drill · root

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. ball — a dance
  3. drill — the tool
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. root — of a plant
  8. land — ground
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. root — the cause
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. stand — to bear
  16. root — of a word
  17. shower — rain
  18. land — a country
  19. drill — a practice
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. land — to come down
  23. shower — to wash
  24. ball — a great time

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