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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 120 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: wax · vault · current · straw · calf · ball · spell · stem

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. spell — letters
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. stem — to come from
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. spell — a short time
  11. current — electric
  12. ball — a great time
  13. wax — to grow
  14. current — of water
  15. vault — a safe
  16. current — happening now
  17. spell — magic
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ball — a dance
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. stem — of a plant

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