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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: calf · stem · clip · chest · wax · mate · wake · shower

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — to grow
  3. shower — rain
  4. stem — to come from
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. clip — for paper
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. chest — a box
  9. mate — a friend
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. shower — to wash
  12. clip — a video
  13. mate — to breed
  14. chest — of your body
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. chest — of your body
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. mate — a partner
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. clip — to cut
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wake — a trail

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