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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: mine · chip · rush · wax · cell · wave · fall · calf

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. fall — to drop
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. fall — to drop
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. mine — for digging
  12. cell — in biology
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. cell — a phone
  17. rush — hurry
  18. wax — to grow
  19. fall — the season
  20. chip — to eat
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. chip — for betting
  24. wave — of the sea

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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