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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: stand · cold · sharp · mouse · wave · date · calf · stem

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. stand — to bear
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. stem — to come from
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cold — an illness
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. sharp — clever
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. date — the fruit
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. mouse — the animal

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