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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: fork · drill · pound · saw · last · wax · calf · dip

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. drill — army training
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. drill — a practice
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. last — to go on
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. saw — the tool
  14. dip — to sink
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. drill — the tool
  17. last — finally
  18. pound — a weight
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. last — final
  23. saw — the tool
  24. calf — a young animal

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