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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pop · game · mark · wax · spell · hide · leaves · stem

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  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. mark — a grade
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. spell — a short time
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. pop — music
  9. game — wild animals
  10. spell — letters
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. game — a match
  14. spell — magic
  15. pop — to visit
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. pop — soda
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. wax — to grow
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. mark — a trace
  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