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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: wax · tube · ground · sharp · root · stem · fine · calf

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. ground — crushed
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. root — of a plant
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stem — to come from
  9. fine — high quality
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. wax — to grow
  12. root — of a word
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — the earth
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. tube — a container
  20. sharp — clever
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. tube — the underground
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. root — the cause

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