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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
YesNo
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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: pop · present · calf · wax · plane · cold · ball · racket

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. pop — music
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. pop — soda
  5. plane — a tool
  6. ball — a great time
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. wax — to grow
  9. present — the time now
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. ball — a dance
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. pop — to visit
  16. present — there
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. present — a gift
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. cold — not warm
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. cold — an illness
  24. ball — a round shape

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