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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 116 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: rest · calf · straw · root · march · wax · cap · branch

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  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. wax — to grow
  2. rest — a break
  3. rest — what's left
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. march — music
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. cap — a hat
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. branch — a division
  11. cap — of ice
  12. root — the cause
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. rest — what's left
  15. cap — a lid
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. march — the month
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. root — of a plant
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. march — the month
  23. root — of a word
  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