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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
468
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 · ground · can · wax · foot · chair · calf · capital

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. chair — a leader
  3. foot — a measure
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. capital — money
  6. cell — in biology
  7. can — a tin
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. capital — a city
  11. ground — the earth
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. ground — a position
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. ground — crushed
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. foot — the bottom

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