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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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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. land — ground
  4. land — to come down
  5. stem — to come from
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. land — a country
  8. rash — hasty
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. deal — to handle
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. craft — boats
  15. craft — a skill
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. rash — a series
  18. wax — to grow

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