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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 120 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
468
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: foot · stem · bat · wax · capital · lash · rock · sharp

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. capital — money
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. rock — music
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bat — the animal
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. foot — a measure
  15. capital — a city
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. stem — to come from
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. wax — to grow
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. rock — a stone
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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