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

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. kid — child
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. present — a gift
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. present — the time now
  22. present — there
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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