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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 116 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: rock · spring · stem · lie · bark · wax · staff · rash

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. spring — of water
  3. rock — a stone
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. staff — a stick
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. rash — hasty
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. rash — a series
  12. staff — employees
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — the season
  15. wax — to grow
  16. staff — employees
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. rock — music
  19. lie — to recline
  20. bark — to shout
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. rash — on the skin

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