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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a ring
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. wax — to grow
  8. dip — to sink
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. prune — to trim
  12. band — a music group
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. wax — for sculpting

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