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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: pitcher · band · ground · wax · squash · cue · stand · stem

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. cue — a hint
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. ground — a position
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. band — a music group
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. stem — to come from
  10. ground — crushed
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. squash — the sport
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. band — a ring
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. cue — for pool
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. cue — a signal
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. squash — to crush
  23. ground — the earth
  24. wax — to grow

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