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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 120 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: swing · spring · mate · rush · calf · nail · wake · wax

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. mate — a partner
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. rush — hurry
  5. spring — a coil
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — music
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wax — to grow
  15. swing — to play on
  16. spring — the season
  17. mate — a friend
  18. spring — of water
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. mate — to breed

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