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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 · spell · mark · rash · bay · scale · wax · trunk

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. mark — a grade
  3. scale — in music
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. spell — a short time
  11. wax — to grow
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. rash — hasty
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. spell — letters
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. scale — size or range
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. spell — magic
  22. rash — a series
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. mark — a trace

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