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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: bay · wax · cell · stem · chest · rash · board · tear

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. rash — a series
  7. tear — to rip
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cell — in biology
  10. stem — to come from
  11. chest — a box
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. board — a committee
  14. cell — a phone
  15. chest — of your body
  16. wax — to grow
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. rash — hasty
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. board — to get on
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. tear — from crying
  23. chest — of your body
  24. wax — in the ear

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