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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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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: foot · temple · snap · rule · wax · stem · stock · straw

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. wax — to grow
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. stock — shares
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. foot — a measure
  12. snap — to click
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. rule — government
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. stem — to come from
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. rule — a law
  21. stock — goods
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. foot — the bottom

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