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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: calf · wax · content · shower · nail · court · cap · toast

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. court — of law
  4. cap — a lid
  5. shower — rain
  6. wax — to grow
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. shower — to wash
  11. content — happy
  12. court — for sport
  13. content — the amount
  14. court — of a king
  15. cap — of ice
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. cap — a hat
  24. content — videos and posts

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