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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: coach · lean · wax · land · stock · pitcher · present · calf

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. lean — thin
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. stock — goods
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. lean — to bend
  9. stock — shares
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. present — a gift
  12. present — there
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. land — a country
  15. land — to come down
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. land — ground
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. present — the time now
  22. wax — to grow
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. wax — for sculpting

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