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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: content · bear · stem · leaves · wax · bark · vault · season

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. bear — the animal
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wax — to grow
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bark — to shout
  8. content — happy
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. content — the amount
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. vault — a safe
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. season — in sport
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. season — of the year

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