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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: wax · last · hand · bay · tube · deal · rest · calf

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. last — final
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. tube — the underground
  7. hand — help
  8. tube — a container
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — to grow
  13. rest — a break
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — finally
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. deal — to handle
  18. rest — what's left
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. hand — in cards
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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