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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: hand · bat · wax · current · calf · ground · foot · march

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. ground — the earth
  6. current — of water
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. hand — help
  9. foot — a measure
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bat — the animal
  14. wax — to grow
  15. current — happening now
  16. march — the month
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. current — electric
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. ground — crushed

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