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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: cue · can · wax · tube · perch · land · sharp · stem

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. perch — the fish
  4. land — a country
  5. land — to come down
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. cue — a signal
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. can — a tin
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — a container
  12. stem — to come from
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. sharp — clever
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. tube — the underground
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. wax — to grow
  19. cue — a hint
  20. cue — for pool
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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