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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: stem · cold · ball · hand · calf · safe · cell · wax

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. wax — to grow
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. cold — an illness
  14. hand — help
  15. ball — a great time
  16. cell — a phone
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. stem — to come from
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. cold — not warm
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. ball — a dance

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