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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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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: straw · fan · wax · race · perch · stand · stick · stem

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. race — a contest
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. wax — to grow
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. stem — to come from
  13. race — the arms race
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. perch — the fish
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. race — humankind
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stem — of a plant

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