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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 116 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: tube · can · row · stem · stock · chair · wax · leaves

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. can — a tin
  4. chair — a leader
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. can — to be able to
  8. wax — to grow
  9. tube — the underground
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. stock — goods
  12. tube — a container
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. can — a tin
  18. row — to paddle
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. row — a line
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. stem — to come from
  24. leaves — lets stay

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