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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 112 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 · bass · lean · game · wax · deal

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. stem — to come from
  3. bass — low music
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. bass — the fish
  8. game — wild animals
  9. deal — to handle
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. game — a match
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. lean — to bend
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. lean — thin

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