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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 116 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: fan · pound · wax · net · stem · wound · leaves · squash

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. net — for catching
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. wound — an injury
  8. squash — to crush
  9. stem — to come from
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. squash — the sport
  12. pound — a weight
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. net — after costs
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. wound — an injury
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. wax — to grow
  23. net — in sport
  24. fan — to cool the air

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