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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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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 · ruler · pit · net · bear · wax · spell · snap

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. spell — magic
  3. bear — the animal
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. net — in sport
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. bear — the animal
  10. snap — to click
  11. spell — letters
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. spell — a short time
  15. wax — to grow
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. pit — a hole
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stem — to come from
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. pit — in a race
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. net — for catching
  24. net — after costs

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