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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 120 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: stem · rock · bowl · mouse · wake · wax · lash · cell

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. rock — music
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. cell — a phone
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. stem — to come from
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cell — in biology
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — a trail

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