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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 120 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: calf · kid · fine · wax · mine · board · wind · bass

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. fine — high quality
  3. board — a committee
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. board — to get on
  8. fine — all right
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. mine — for digging
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. wax — to grow
  17. kid — child
  18. bass — low music
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. wind — moving air
  23. kid — to tease
  24. fine — a penalty

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