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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: branch · wax · cold · mouse · foot · track · calf · season

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. track — to keep track
  6. cold — not warm
  7. season — in sport
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. season — of the year
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. branch — a division
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. foot — a measure
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. wax — to grow
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. cold — an illness
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. track — a path
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. wax — for sculpting

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