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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: toast · calf · wax · saw · kid · game · fall · dip

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. dip — to sink
  5. game — a match
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. game — wild animals
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. fall — to drop
  15. saw — the tool
  16. fall — to drop
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wax — to grow
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. kid — to tease
  21. fall — the season
  22. kid — child
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. toast — bread

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