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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: stem · fall · chip · wax · mark · track · leaves · game

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. track — to keep track
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. fall — to drop
  7. wax — to grow
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. fall — to drop
  10. game — wild animals
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. game — a match
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. chip — for betting
  15. mark — a trace
  16. track — a path
  17. fall — the season
  18. mark — a grade
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. chip — to eat
  22. track — a song
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. leaves — of a tree

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