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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.

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: wax · ground · club · lie · calf · leaves · race · pitcher

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. race — humankind
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. ground — a position
  7. lie — to recline
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. club — for golf
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. wax — to grow
  17. ground — crushed
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. ground — the earth
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. club — a group
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. race — the arms race
  24. race — a contest

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