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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: nail · wake · face · track · pitcher · wax · season · calf

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. season — of the year
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. track — a song
  5. track — a path
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. face — to point toward
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. season — in sport
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wax — to grow
  17. face — part of the head
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. face — to confront
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. track — to keep track
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wake — before a funeral

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