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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: chest · wax · patient · squash · rock · stem · mark · kick

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. rock — music
  3. squash — the sport
  4. stem — to come from
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mark — a grade
  10. kick — in football
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. squash — to crush
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. wax — to grow
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. mark — a trace
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. chest — a box

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