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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 · wax · pass · race · lash · game · march · band

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. game — wild animals
  3. march — the month
  4. band — a music group
  5. race — humankind
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. race — a contest
  8. march — the month
  9. band — a ring
  10. pass — a permit
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. game — a match
  18. march — music
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. wax — to grow
  24. race — the arms race

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