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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 · ground · stand · cap · wax · rock · deal · content

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. ground — the earth
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. cap — of ice
  7. content — the amount
  8. deal — to handle
  9. cap — a hat
  10. content — happy
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. stand — to bear
  15. wax — to grow
  16. ground — crushed
  17. stem — to come from
  18. rock — a stone
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. cap — a lid
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. ground — a position

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