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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: hide · current · stem · trunk · wax · land · firm · perch

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. perch — the fish
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. land — a country
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. current — of water
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. land — to come down
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. firm — decided
  13. firm — steady
  14. firm — a company
  15. land — ground
  16. current — electric
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. stem — to come from
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. current — happening now

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