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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: stock · fall · wind · wax · stem · degree · cabinet · bore

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. stem — to come from
  4. wax — to grow
  5. fall — the season
  6. bore — to drill
  7. degree — an amount
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. bore — to tire
  10. degree — from a university
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wind — moving air
  13. fall — to drop
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. fall — to drop
  17. stock — shares
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. stock — goods
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. wind — moving air
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. degree — temperature

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