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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 · track · bass · wax · staff · wind · cabinet · pitcher

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. stem — to come from
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. track — a path
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bass — low music
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. staff — a stick
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. track — to keep track
  12. staff — employees
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. track — a song
  20. bass — the fish
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wind — moving air
  24. stem — a stem cell

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