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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of law
  9. wax — to grow
  10. cell — a phone
  11. deal — to handle
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. object — an aim
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. stem — to come from
  19. object — to protest
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. court — of a king
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. cell — in biology
  24. deal — an agreement

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