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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.

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: band · wax · tube · stem · club · bear · lie · last

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  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. bear — to put up with
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — to recline
  4. last — to go on
  5. tube — a container
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. tube — the underground
  8. stem — to come from
  9. club — for dancing
  10. band — a music group
  11. last — final
  12. last — finally
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. bear — the animal
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. band — a ring
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. club — a group
  22. bear — the animal
  23. club — for golf
  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