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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: net · wax · mark · key · game · track · stem · ground

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. stem — to come from
  4. key — in music
  5. mark — a trace
  6. key — the most important part
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. ground — crushed
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. ground — the earth
  11. wax — to grow
  12. net — after costs
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. net — for catching
  16. track — a song
  17. key — for a lock
  18. net — in sport
  19. mark — a grade
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a path
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. ground — a position
  24. game — a match

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