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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: can · face · stem · bowl · wave · wax · cap · last

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. stem — to come from
  8. can — to be able to
  9. last — finally
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. last — final
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. last — to go on
  15. face — part of the head
  16. cap — a hat
  17. can — a tin
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — to point toward
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. cap — a lid
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. can — a tin

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