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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: drill · root · wax · club · stem · face · snap · ball

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. root — of a word
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. wax — to grow
  6. face — part of the head
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. snap — to click
  9. face — to point toward
  10. club — a group
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — the tool
  15. ball — a dance
  16. root — of a plant
  17. ball — a great time
  18. face — to confront
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. root — the cause
  21. drill — a practice
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. club — for golf

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