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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: chair · game · wax · present · leaves · stem · rock · bulb

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rock — music
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. game — wild animals
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. wax — to grow
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. stem — to come from
  12. chair — a leader
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. rock — a stone
  19. present — a gift
  20. game — a match
  21. bulb — for light
  22. present — the time now
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. present — there

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