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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. object — an aim
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wind — moving air
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — to visit
  9. wind — moving air
  10. object — a thing
  11. stem — to come from
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. object — to protest

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