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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: band · tube · nail · calf · wax · bear · mine · sharp

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. tube — a container
  3. sharp — clever
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. band — a music group
  7. band — a ring
  8. bear — the animal
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — the underground
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. mine — for digging
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bear — the animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. nail — on a finger

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