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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 116 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 · hand · rush · present · pop · wax · face · court

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. court — of law
  5. pop — music
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. present — a gift
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. pop — soda
  11. hand — in cards
  12. face — part of the head
  13. pop — to visit
  14. rush — hurry
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. face — to confront
  17. present — the time now
  18. hand — help
  19. present — there
  20. court — for sport
  21. wax — to grow
  22. court — of a king
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. face — to point toward

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