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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: spell · stem · arm · shower · wax · march · root · stock

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. shower — to wash
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. stock — goods
  5. root — of a word
  6. spell — a short time
  7. wax — to grow
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. spell — letters
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. march — the month
  12. stem — to come from
  13. spell — magic
  14. root — the cause
  15. shower — rain
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. march — music
  19. stock — shares
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. march — the month
  24. root — of a plant

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