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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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468
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: cabinet · bank · mouse · stem · lean · wax · chair · craft

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. craft — boats
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. lean — to bend
  6. bank — for money
  7. stem — to come from
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bank — for money
  17. craft — a skill
  18. wax — to grow
  19. lean — thin
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. chair — a leader
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. cabinet — ministers

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