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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 116 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: degree · wound · stem · board · wax · cabinet · clip · wave

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. degree — from a university
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wound — an injury
  5. degree — temperature
  6. wound — an injury
  7. board — a committee
  8. wax — to grow
  9. board — to get on
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. stem — to come from
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. clip — a video
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. degree — an amount
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. clip — for paper
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. clip — to cut
  24. cabinet — ministers

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