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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 120 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: bay · stick · straw · stem · wax · can · bat · racket

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. wax — to grow
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. can — to be able to
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. stem — to come from
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bat — the animal
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. can — a tin
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. can — a tin
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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