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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: wound · season · charge · mark · coach · leaves · calf · wax

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. wound — an injury
  7. season — in sport
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. charge — electricity
  13. mark — a trace
  14. charge — in control
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. charge — a price
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. mark — a grade
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. wax — to grow
  24. season — of the year

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