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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.

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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: leaves · saw · fan · wax · wave · calf · bat · object

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. object — a thing
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. saw — the tool
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. wax — to grow
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. saw — the tool
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. object — to protest

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