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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 · wax · lean · face · current · saw · dip · chair

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — to grow
  4. current — of water
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. face — part of the head
  8. current — electric
  9. face — to point toward
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. chair — a leader
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to sink
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. lean — thin
  22. lean — to bend
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. current — happening now

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