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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wake · plane · wax · ball · stem · game · bore · tear

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wake — a trail
  3. game — wild animals
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. stem — to come from
  6. game — a match
  7. bore — to drill
  8. plane — a tool
  9. tear — from crying
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. ball — a great time
  12. tear — to rip
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bore — to tire
  22. tear — from crying
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. ball — a dance

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