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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: lean · kid · wax · dip · face · calf · bat · perch

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. perch — the fish
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — child
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. face — to confront
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. face — to point toward
  15. lean — thin
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bat — the animal
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. dip — to sink
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. lean — to bend
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. calf — a young animal

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