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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: mouse · wax · stick · stem · tear · face · land · rash

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. rash — a series
  5. land — a country
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. rash — hasty
  12. face — part of the head
  13. land — ground
  14. tear — from crying
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. land — to come down
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. tear — from crying
  20. stem — to come from
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. face — to confront
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. face — to point toward

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