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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.

Make a worksheet

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: game · wax · calf · wake · fall · land · vault · branch

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. land — ground
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. fall — to drop
  8. land — to come down
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. land — a country
  12. fall — to drop
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. branch — a division
  16. fall — the season
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. game — wild animals
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. vault — a safe
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wax — to grow
  24. calf — of the leg

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