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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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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. chair — a leader
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bank — for money
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wax — to grow
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. cold — an illness
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. bank — of a river
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — a stem cell

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