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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 120 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: saw · content · can · stem · season · rest · wax · pitch

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. saw — the tool
  4. content — happy
  5. rest — what's left
  6. season — of the year
  7. saw — the tool
  8. content — the amount
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. can — a tin
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. pitch — completely
  13. rest — what's left
  14. season — in sport
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. stem — to come from
  19. can — a tin
  20. rest — a break
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. can — to be able to
  24. wax — to grow

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