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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: stem · saw · land · root · club · pass · wax · court

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. court — of law
  3. root — the cause
  4. stem — to come from
  5. land — a country
  6. court — for sport
  7. club — a group
  8. wax — to grow
  9. root — of a word
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — ground
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. root — of a plant
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. club — for golf
  21. court — of a king
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. pass — a permit
  24. club — for dancing

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