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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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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: can · wake · rule · calf · hand · wax · content · straw

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. content — the amount
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. rule — a law
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. hand — in cards
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. can — a tin
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. content — happy
  15. rule — government
  16. can — to be able to
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. wake — a trail
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. can — a tin
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. hand — help

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