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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: coach · net · rule · stem · lie · wax · can · mate

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. rule — government
  4. lie — to recline
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. can — a tin
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. net — after costs
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. mate — a partner
  13. rule — a law
  14. stem — to come from
  15. net — in sport
  16. can — a tin
  17. wax — to grow
  18. can — to be able to
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. mate — to breed
  22. net — for catching
  23. mate — a friend
  24. lie — an untruth

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