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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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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: ground · stem · wax · pound · face · object · roll · branch

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. object — to protest
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. object — an aim
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — crushed
  8. face — to confront
  9. face — to point toward
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. roll — a list
  12. ground — a position
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. wax — to grow
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. branch — a division
  17. face — part of the head
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. object — a thing
  20. pound — a weight
  21. stem — to come from
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. roll — a cake
  24. branch — of a tree

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