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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: stem · rush · bore · wax · mine · ground · staff · last

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. staff — employees
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. staff — employees
  7. mine — for digging
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. last — finally
  10. bore — to tire
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. stem — to come from
  14. last — to go on
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — the earth
  17. last — final
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. rush — hurry
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bore — to drill
  22. ground — a position
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. staff — a stick

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