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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: mine · stem · key · mate · straw · pound · bore · wax

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. mate — a partner
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. key — the most important part
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. key — for a lock
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. mine — for digging
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. bore — to drill
  14. stem — to come from
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. wax — to grow
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mate — to breed
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. pound — a weight
  24. bore — to tire

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