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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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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: wax · ground · cold · safe · stem · rule · cell · wave

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. rule — a law
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. ground — a position
  8. rule — government
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. wax — to grow
  11. ground — the earth
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. stem — to come from
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — a phone
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. ground — crushed
  22. cold — not warm
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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