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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · mine · wax · bound · bay · track · sharp · cell

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. track — a path
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. track — to keep track
  11. cell — in biology
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. track — a song
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. wax — to grow
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — certain
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bound — tied together
  24. cell — a phone

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