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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: saw · tube · wound · net · stem · wax · club · ground

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. club — for dancing
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. tube — a container
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. wound — an injury
  7. net — after costs
  8. ground — a position
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. wax — to grow
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. stem — to come from
  13. net — for catching
  14. tube — the underground
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wound — an injury
  18. saw — the tool
  19. club — a group
  20. ground — the earth
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. ground — crushed
  23. club — for golf
  24. net — in sport

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