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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: wound · rule · stem · toast · wax · court · pitch · leaves

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. wax — to grow
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. rule — government
  10. rule — a law
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. toast — bread
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. court — for sport
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. pitch — completely
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. court — of law
  23. court — of a king
  24. leaves — of a tree

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