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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 120 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: stem · wax · cue · root · face · racket · straw · wind

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. root — the cause
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. cue — a signal
  13. wax — to grow
  14. face — to point toward
  15. cue — for pool
  16. root — of a plant
  17. stem — to come from
  18. wind — moving air
  19. cue — a hint
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. face — to confront
  22. root — of a word
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. face — part of the head

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