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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: wax · spell · calf · land · mark · cold · nail · stem

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. land — ground
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. mark — a grade
  6. stem — to come from
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — magic
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. land — a country
  11. cold — an illness
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. mark — a trace
  16. land — to come down
  17. cold — not warm
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. spell — letters
  24. wax — to grow

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