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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: ruler · fine · wax · game · spring · stem · rock · land

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. rock — a stone
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. game — wild animals
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. land — a country
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. land — to come down
  12. wax — to grow
  13. spring — the season
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. land — ground
  16. rock — music
  17. fine — high quality
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. game — a match
  20. spring — of water
  21. fine — all right
  22. spring — a coil
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. stem — of a plant

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