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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: board · stem · mark · wax · lash · court · band · cell

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. band — a music group
  3. wax — to grow
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. court — of law
  6. cell — in biology
  7. band — a ring
  8. mark — a grade
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. court — of a king
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. mark — a trace
  15. board — a committee
  16. cell — a phone
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. court — for sport
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. board — to get on
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. lash — to lash out

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