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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.

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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: cell · last · key · wax · band · pound · stem · mouse

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. last — finally
  3. key — for a lock
  4. wax — to grow
  5. stem — to come from
  6. last — final
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — a phone
  11. key — the most important part
  12. band — a music group
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. pound — a weight
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. cell — in biology
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a ring
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. last — to go on
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. key — in music

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