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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 120 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: court · can · stem · perch · squash · wax · track · pass

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. track — a path
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — to grow
  6. can — a tin
  7. squash — the sport
  8. court — for sport
  9. perch — the fish
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. court — of a king
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. can — a tin
  16. stem — to come from
  17. squash — to crush
  18. track — a song
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. court — of law
  21. track — to keep track
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. can — to be able to

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