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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · rock · leaves · field · court · stem · plane · spring

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — of water
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. stem — to come from
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — to grow
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. rock — a stone
  9. field — farmland
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. field — a subject
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of a king
  14. field — for sport
  15. plane — a tool
  16. rock — music
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. court — of law
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. spring — the season
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. wax — in the ear

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