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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: staff · mate · wax · kid · prune · bear · present · stem

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. mate — to breed
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. prune — to trim
  6. kid — child
  7. staff — employees
  8. mate — a partner
  9. present — the time now
  10. stem — to come from
  11. mate — a friend
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. bear — the animal
  14. present — a gift
  15. prune — to trim
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. bear — the animal
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — a stick
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. present — there
  24. wax — to grow

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