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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: row · ball · drill · staff · land · object · stem · wax

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. stem — to come from
  3. drill — a practice
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. row — a line
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. object — an aim
  8. land — a country
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. wax — to grow
  11. land — to come down
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. staff — employees
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. staff — a stick
  17. ball — a dance
  18. land — ground
  19. staff — employees
  20. ball — a great time
  21. object — to protest
  22. object — a thing
  23. row — to paddle
  24. drill — the tool

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