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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: field · bore · bank · wax · can · tear · stem · land

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — a subject
  4. bore — to tire
  5. tear — to rip
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bank — of a river
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. wax — to grow
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. can — a tin
  14. land — ground
  15. bore — to drill
  16. field — farmland
  17. land — a country
  18. stem — to come from
  19. can — to be able to
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. bank — for money
  22. can — a tin
  23. bank — for money
  24. tear — from crying

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