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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 116 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: file · cold · kick · hand · swing · wax · present · calf

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. cold — not warm
  7. hand — in cards
  8. swing — to play on
  9. present — there
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. present — the time now
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. hand — help
  14. cold — an illness
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. kick — in football
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. swing — music
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a document
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. present — a gift
  24. wax — to grow

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