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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: mate · stem · safe · march · court · wax · hand · bore

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. march — the month
  3. bore — to drill
  4. mate — a friend
  5. wax — to grow
  6. mate — a partner
  7. march — the month
  8. court — of a king
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. hand — help
  14. court — of law
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. hand — in cards
  17. mate — to breed
  18. court — for sport
  19. bore — to tire
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. stem — to come from
  22. march — music
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. safe — out of danger

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