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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. ball — a dance
  3. object — to protest
  4. stand — to bear
  5. wax — to grow
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. object — an aim
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stem — to come from
  11. object — a thing
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — a phone
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. ball — a great time
  17. cell — in biology
  18. stem — of a plant

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