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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: mug · mate · wax · row · calf · kid · stick · field

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. kid — to tease
  3. field — a subject
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. mug — a face
  6. mug — a cup
  7. kid — child
  8. field — farmland
  9. row — to paddle
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. wax — to grow
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. mate — to breed
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. row — a line
  21. mate — a friend
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. mug — to rob
  24. mate — a partner

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