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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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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: drill · stand · bear · tear · cell · bound · calf · wax

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bound — obliged
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. drill — a practice
  6. bound — tied together
  7. cell — in biology
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bear — the animal
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. tear — from crying
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — to grow
  14. drill — army training
  15. bound — certain
  16. drill — the tool
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. bear — the animal
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. cell — a phone
  23. stand — to bear
  24. stand — for spectators

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