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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 120 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: stem · tear · chip · wax · land · mug · wake · sharp

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. land — a country
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. stem — to come from
  6. tear — from crying
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. wax — to grow
  10. chip — for betting
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wake — a trail
  13. tear — from crying
  14. land — to come down
  15. land — ground
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. mug — to rob
  19. sharp — clever
  20. tear — to rip
  21. mug — a face
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. chip — to eat
  24. mug — a cup

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