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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: wax · cap · stem · shower · net · craft · ground · leaves

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. shower — rain
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. net — in sport
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. net — for catching
  8. stem — to come from
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. shower — to wash
  11. craft — a skill
  12. net — after costs
  13. cap — a hat
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. cap — of ice
  17. ground — the earth
  18. craft — boats
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. ground — crushed
  21. cap — a lid
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. wax — to grow

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