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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.

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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: wake · lie · fan · calf · mine · stick · bound · wax

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. lie — to recline
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. bound — obliged
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wax — to grow
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — tied together
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. wake — a trail
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — for digging
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. lie — an untruth

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