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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: mark · dip · mate · land · lean · wax · hand · calf

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. wax — to grow
  3. mark — a trace
  4. hand — in cards
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. lean — to bend
  8. mate — a partner
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. mark — a grade
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. land — to come down
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. hand — help
  16. dip — to sink
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. mate — to breed
  21. land — ground
  22. land — a country
  23. lean — thin
  24. wax — for sculpting

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