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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cell · ball · sharp · wax · lean · calf · scale · row

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. sharp — clever
  5. wax — to grow
  6. lean — to bend
  7. cell — in biology
  8. row — to paddle
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. scale — in music
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ball — a great time
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — size or range
  16. row — a line
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. lean — thin
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. calf — a young animal

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