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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: capital · stem · plane · safe · cold · wax · bank · calf

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. wax — to grow
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. bank — for money
  12. stem — to come from
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. cold — not warm
  16. plane — a tool
  17. capital — a city
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. bank — of a river
  23. capital — money
  24. bank — for money

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