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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: ball · wound · sharp · calf · dip · land · stem · wax

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. dip — to sink
  6. land — to come down
  7. stem — to come from
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. wound — an injury
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. ball — a great time
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. ball — a dance
  15. sharp — clever
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. land — ground
  20. wax — to grow
  21. land — a country
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. ball — a round shape

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