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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 · drill · wax · ball · bowl · track · band · chip

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. band — a music group
  4. track — a path
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. stem — to come from
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — army training
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. chip — to eat
  13. wax — to grow
  14. track — a song
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. track — to keep track
  18. ball — a dance
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a great time
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. stem — a stem cell

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