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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: fork · wax · bore · row · leaves · spring · current · stem

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. current — of water
  4. current — happening now
  5. stem — to come from
  6. current — electric
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. spring — the season
  11. bore — to tire
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. fork — in a road
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. row — a line
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. spring — a coil
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bore — to drill
  24. spring — of water

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