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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 116 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
468
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: fan · dip · wax · stem · nail · bark · tear · calf

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. dip — to sink
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — to grow
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stem — to come from
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bark — to shout
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. tear — from crying

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