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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 120 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 · rule · bore · calf · cell · stem · ball · shower

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stem — to come from
  6. rule — government
  7. rule — a law
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. bore — to tire
  11. cell — in biology
  12. ball — a great time
  13. shower — to wash
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bore — to drill
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. shower — rain
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. ball — a dance

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