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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: stem · bulb · ground · hand · key · temple · wave · wax

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. ground — the earth
  6. hand — in cards
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. stem — to come from
  10. key — in music
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. bulb — for light
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. key — for a lock
  19. ground — a position
  20. bulb — for light
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. hand — help
  23. ground — crushed
  24. temple — a place of worship

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