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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.

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: court · last · fall · lie · file · calf · wax · roll

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. wax — to grow
  4. file — a tool
  5. court — of a king
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. last — finally
  9. lie — to recline
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. court — for sport
  12. roll — a list
  13. court — of law
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. fall — to drop
  16. roll — a cake
  17. fall — to drop
  18. last — final
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. last — to go on
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. file — a document
  23. fall — the season
  24. file — a line of people

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