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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: calf · hand · face · wax · mouse · roll · wake · saw

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. roll — a cake
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. face — to confront
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. roll — a list
  11. saw — the tool
  12. face — part of the head
  13. wake — a trail
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — in cards
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. face — to point toward
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. wax — to grow

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