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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: march · wave · calf · lean · wax · can · spring · scale

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. wax — to grow
  3. spring — the season
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. spring — a coil
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. lean — to bend
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. can — to be able to
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. march — music
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. spring — of water
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — in music

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