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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · foot · cold · calf · wax · track · ground · fan

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. track — a song
  6. rest — what's left
  7. ground — crushed
  8. rest — a break
  9. foot — a measure
  10. ground — a position
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. track — a path
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. ground — the earth
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. track — to keep track
  21. cold — an illness
  22. rest — what's left
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. cold — not warm

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