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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: spring · fork · stem · plane · last · cue · wax · staff

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. spring — of water
  3. last — to go on
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. spring — the season
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. last — final
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cue — a signal
  10. spring — a coil
  11. staff — employees
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. staff — employees
  14. fork — in a road
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. last — finally
  18. stem — to come from
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. plane — a tool
  21. cue — a hint
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. staff — a stick

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