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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: track · wax · clip · pass · stem · fan · cell · bay

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. clip — to cut
  4. track — a path
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. pass — a permit
  9. cell — in biology
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. cell — a phone
  17. track — a song
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. track — to keep track
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. clip — a video

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