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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: wax · mine · court · calf · bore · file · lean · stand

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  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. file — a tool
  2. court — of a king
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. lean — to bend
  10. court — of law
  11. file — a document
  12. bore — to drill
  13. file — a line of people
  14. stand — to bear
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bore — to tire
  17. wax — to grow
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. court — for sport
  21. lean — thin
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. wax — in the ear
  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