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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cell · calf · arm · rest · net · date · pop · wax

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. pop — soda
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. cell — a phone
  5. rest — what's left
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. net — for catching
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. pop — to visit
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. net — in sport
  14. pop — music
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. rest — what's left
  19. date — the fruit
  20. wax — to grow
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. net — after costs

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