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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 · tear · wax · sharp · pop · nail · face · saw

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — to point toward
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — to visit
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. pop — soda
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wax — to grow
  17. tear — from crying
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stem — to come from
  20. face — part of the head
  21. tear — to rip
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. sharp — clever
  24. nail — for a hammer

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