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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: court · last · object · straw · spell · pop · calf · wax

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. pop — soda
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. object — an aim
  5. object — to protest
  6. wax — to grow
  7. object — a thing
  8. spell — a short time
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of a king
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — final
  14. last — finally
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. spell — magic
  17. pop — to visit
  18. spell — letters
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. pop — music
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. court — of law

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