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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 · stem · shower · last · mug · ground · content · dip

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. last — finally
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. dip — to sink
  7. mug — to rob
  8. content — happy
  9. shower — rain
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. ground — crushed
  13. mug — a cup
  14. last — to go on
  15. content — the amount
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — the earth
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. wax — to grow
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. last — final
  22. shower — to wash
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. wax — for sculpting

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