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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: calf · bound · trunk · fine · fan · wax · cold · wake

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bound — obliged
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. bound — tied together
  8. fine — high quality
  9. cold — not warm
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bound — certain
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. cold — an illness
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fine — all right
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wax — to grow
  24. calf — a young animal

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