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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: tube · wax · roll · bank · rock · stem · scale · wind

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. bank — for money
  4. tube — the underground
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. scale — size or range
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. stem — to come from
  11. bank — for money
  12. scale — in music
  13. roll — a list
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. bank — of a river
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. rock — a stone
  21. tube — a container
  22. roll — a cake
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. wax — to grow

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