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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 120 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: bay · rest · present · file · calf · pitcher · perch · wax

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. present — a gift
  3. present — there
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. file — a line of people
  7. rest — what's left
  8. perch — the fish
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. file — a document
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rest — a break
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. rest — what's left
  19. wax — to grow
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. present — the time now
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. file — a tool

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