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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
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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: wax · bowl · swing · staff · calf · drill · date · mine

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. drill — army training
  6. staff — employees
  7. mine — for digging
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. swing — music
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. swing — in golf
  15. staff — a stick
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — the fruit
  19. staff — employees
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. swing — to play on
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bowl — a football final

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