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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: wake · cell · wax · safe · calf · chest · cabinet · patient

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. cell — in biology
  17. chest — a box
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. chest — of your body
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. cell — a phone

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