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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 116 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 · fan · wax · stem · bank · pitch · track · row

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bank — for money
  4. stem — to come from
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. row — a line
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bank — for money
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. track — a song
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. track — a path
  18. pitch — completely
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. bank — of a river
  22. track — to keep track
  23. row — to paddle
  24. fan — to cool the air

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