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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: wound · wax · cell · arm · cabinet · calf · fork · game

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. wax — to grow
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fork — in a road
  12. game — a match
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. game — wild animals
  24. fork — to eat with

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