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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 116 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: hand · march · stem · wave · nail · wax

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — in cards
  4. march — the month
  5. wax — to grow
  6. march — the month
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. stem — to come from
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. hand — help
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. march — music
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. stem — a stem cell

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