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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: stem · rule · clip · wax · sharp · pitcher · tube · foot

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. foot — a measure
  5. tube — a container
  6. rule — a law
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. tube — the underground
  10. clip — a video
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. rule — government
  17. clip — for paper
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. clip — to cut
  20. wax — to grow
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — clever

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