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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: leaves · stand · stem · clip · bay · wax · track · rule

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. clip — to cut
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. wax — to grow
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — for paper
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. track — to keep track
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. rule — government
  16. track — a path
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. rule — a law
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. track — a song
  22. stand — to bear
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. stand — for spectators

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