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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: last · wax · press · ruler · stem · scale

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. press — a publisher
  7. stem — to come from
  8. wax — to grow
  9. scale — size or range
  10. last — final
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. press — to push
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. press — newspapers
  17. last — to go on
  18. scale — in music

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