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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: fork · calf · face · mine · mate · nail · band · wax

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. face — to point toward
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. face — part of the head
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. band — a music group
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mate — a partner
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a ring
  20. fork — in a road
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mate — to breed
  23. wax — to grow
  24. face — to confront

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