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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.

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: racket · wax · mark · cue · stem · ball · file · chip

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. ball — a dance
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. file — a tool
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. cue — for pool
  11. file — a document
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. ball — a great time
  15. chip — for betting
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. wax — to grow
  18. cue — a signal
  19. file — a line of people
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. cue — a hint
  22. stem — to come from
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mark — a trace

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