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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: court · temple · stem · rush · squash · calf · wax · cue

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. squash — to crush
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. cue — a hint
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. court — of law
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. cue — for pool
  15. wax — to grow
  16. rush — hurry
  17. stem — to come from
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. squash — the sport
  20. court — of a king
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. cue — a signal
  23. court — for sport
  24. calf — a young animal

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