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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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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: wave · pound · temple · press · wax · root · stem · clip

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. press — a publisher
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. press — newspapers
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. root — the cause
  8. root — of a word
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — to cut
  11. press — to push
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. pound — a weight
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. clip — for paper
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. root — of a plant
  23. stem — to come from
  24. wax — in the ear

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