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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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: hand · saw · perch · bear · wax · mug · stem · kid

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. hand — in cards
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. saw — the tool
  6. mug — a face
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. mug — to rob
  11. perch — the fish
  12. bear — the animal
  13. stem — to come from
  14. wax — to grow
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. mug — a cup
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. hand — help
  19. kid — child
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. kid — to tease
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bear — the animal

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