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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: calf · cold · present · saw · wax · current · stem · sharp

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. current — happening now
  5. sharp — clever
  6. wax — to grow
  7. saw — the tool
  8. present — the time now
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. present — there
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. present — a gift
  15. stem — to come from
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. cold — an illness
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. current — of water
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. current — electric
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. sharp — with an edge

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