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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: calf · mine · wax · fan · key · wind · drill · rash

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. wind — moving air
  4. key — for a lock
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wax — to grow
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. rash — a series
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. drill — the tool
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. key — the most important part
  14. drill — a practice
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. key — in music
  17. mine — for digging
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. drill — army training
  21. rash — hasty
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. wax — in the ear

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