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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: mug · wax · stem · rest · ground · fall · craft · lean

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. mug — a cup
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. mug — to rob
  5. rest — what's left
  6. craft — a skill
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. fall — the season
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wax — to grow
  11. ground — crushed
  12. lean — thin
  13. craft — boats
  14. mug — a face
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stem — to come from
  17. lean — to bend
  18. fall — to drop
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rest — a break
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ground — a position

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