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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: spring · band · rock · stem · bowl · ball · wax · bore

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. wax — to grow
  3. spring — the season
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. ball — a great time
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. spring — a coil
  8. rock — a stone
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bore — to drill
  11. ball — a dance
  12. spring — of water
  13. band — a ring
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. band — a music group
  21. rock — music
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bore — to tire
  24. ball — a round shape

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