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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: spring · race · bore · ruler · wax · sharp · pass · stem

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. 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. wax — for sculpting
  2. stem — to come from
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. spring — of water
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. spring — a coil
  10. race — a contest
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bore — to drill
  13. pass — a permit
  14. spring — the season
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. race — humankind
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. sharp — clever
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. race — the arms race
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bore — to tire
  24. 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