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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: pop · deal · calf · wax · rest · cell · hand · game

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. hand — in cards
  5. game — a match
  6. wax — to grow
  7. pop — soda
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. pop — music
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. cell — a phone
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. hand — help
  15. cell — in biology
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. deal — to handle
  18. pop — to visit
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. game — wild animals
  22. rest — a break
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. rest — what's left

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