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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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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: deal · last · rest · march · kick · rock · wax · calf

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. march — the month
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. deal — to handle
  5. rest — what's left
  6. last — to go on
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. rest — what's left
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. march — music
  13. wax — to grow
  14. rock — music
  15. last — finally
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. march — the month
  18. rock — a stone
  19. last — final
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. rest — a break
  22. kick — in football
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. rock — to move gently

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