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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: bowl · stem · leaves · mouse · cold · wax · pound · content

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  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. leaves — to go away
  2. content — happy
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. wax — to grow
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. content — the amount
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. stem — to come from
  13. cold — not warm
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pound — a weight
  21. cold — an illness
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. bowl — a football final
  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