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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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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: stem · capital · race · perch · tear · wax · straw · trunk

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. capital — money
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. perch — the fish
  13. stem — to come from
  14. wax — to grow
  15. tear — from crying
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. race — humankind
  20. tear — from crying
  21. capital — a city
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. tear — to rip
  24. race — a contest

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