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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.

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: land · arm · wax · dip · calf · bowl · march · deal

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. march — the month
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. march — the month
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. deal — to handle
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — to grow
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. land — a country
  21. dip — to sink
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. land — ground
  24. march — music

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