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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: wax · stem · straw · content · nail · cell

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. cell — in biology
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. stem — to come from
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. wax — to grow
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. content — the amount
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. cell — a phone
  18. straw — a straw man

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