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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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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 · calf · jam · spring · stick · fork · pit · band

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. wax — to grow
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. band — a ring
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. spring — the season
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. band — a music group
  10. fork — in a road
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. spring — a coil
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. pit — a hole
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. pit — in a race
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. spring — of water

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