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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: mark · lie · stem · game · hand · wax · staff · bound

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. staff — employees
  3. stem — to come from
  4. staff — a stick
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. staff — employees
  8. bound — obliged
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. game — a match
  11. bound — tied together
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. hand — in cards
  15. mark — a grade
  16. hand — help
  17. bound — certain
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. mark — a trace
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. wax — to grow
  23. game — wild animals
  24. wax — for sculpting

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