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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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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: land · pass · track · tube · wax · stem · cue · scale

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stem — to come from
  3. tube — the underground
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. pass — a permit
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. tube — a container
  8. wax — to grow
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. cue — a hint
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. scale — size or range
  15. cue — for pool
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a path
  18. land — to come down
  19. cue — a signal
  20. land — ground
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. land — a country
  23. track — a song
  24. pass — to spend time

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