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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.

Words on the sheet
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: stand · bay · net · pitcher · face · mine · stem · wax

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. mine — for digging
  6. net — in sport
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. stand — to bear
  10. face — to point toward
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. net — for catching
  15. stem — to come from
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. face — to confront
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. net — after costs

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