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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: mine · wax · deal · dip · calf · trunk · sharp · board

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. deal — to handle
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. sharp — clever
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. wax — to grow
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. board — to get on
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. board — a committee
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. wax — in the ear

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