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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: arm · calf · trunk · squash · last · roll · wax · bat

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. squash — to crush
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. last — finally
  9. last — to go on
  10. roll — a cake
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. last — final
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. roll — a list
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. squash — the sport
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. bat — the 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