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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: wax · straw · board · pop · wake · mouse · spring · stem

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. board — a committee
  4. stem — to come from
  5. pop — music
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. pop — soda
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. pop — to visit
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. spring — of water
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. wax — to grow
  16. spring — a coil
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. spring — the season

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