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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: wax · key · branch · degree · stem · mark · wake · land

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  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 — in the ear
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. key — in music
  5. degree — temperature
  6. stem — to come from
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. land — ground
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. wax — to grow
  12. land — a country
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — an amount
  15. land — to come down
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. wake — a trail
  18. branch — a division
  19. key — the most important part
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. key — for a lock
  22. mark — a grade
  23. branch — of a bank
  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