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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: stand · toast · stem · wound · trunk · wax · band · ground

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wax — to grow
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. toast — bread
  8. ground — a position
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. ground — the earth
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. band — a music group
  14. wound — an injury
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. stand — to bear
  20. band — a ring
  21. stem — to come from
  22. ground — crushed
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. trunk — of a car

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