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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: track · perch · wax · sharp · stem · court · rash · bay

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. court — for sport
  3. track — a path
  4. perch — the fish
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. court — of law
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. sharp — clever
  11. rash — a series
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a song
  14. stem — to come from
  15. court — of a king
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. wax — to grow
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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