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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: craft · root · saw · wax · spell · stem · mate · bulb

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. wax — to grow
  3. mate — to breed
  4. craft — boats
  5. spell — letters
  6. bulb — for light
  7. craft — a skill
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. mate — a partner
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mate — a friend
  13. root — of a word
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — to come from
  17. spell — a short time
  18. root — of a plant
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. bulb — for light
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. root — the cause
  23. spell — magic
  24. saw — the tool

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