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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
468
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: wax · spring · rock · root · rush · file · stem · snap

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. rock — music
  4. stem — to come from
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. file — a document
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. root — of a plant
  11. root — of a word
  12. rush — hurry
  13. spring — a coil
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. wax — to grow
  17. root — the cause
  18. file — a tool
  19. spring — of water
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. snap — to click
  23. spring — the season
  24. file — a line of people

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