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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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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: staff · calf · wax · nail · patient · last · fine · prune

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. prune — to trim
  3. last — to go on
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. fine — high quality
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. staff — employees
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. staff — a stick
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fine — all right
  18. staff — employees
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. last — final
  21. wax — to grow
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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