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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.

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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: swing · lean · wax · sharp · bear · calf · face · spring

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. swing — in golf
  4. spring — the season
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. face — to point toward
  7. spring — of water
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lean — thin
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. swing — music
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to confront
  19. wax — to grow
  20. spring — a coil
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. swing — to play on
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — exactly

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