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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 124 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. present — a gift
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. firm — decided
  8. foot — a measure
  9. band — a ring
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. current — electric
  12. firm — a company
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. firm — steady
  15. current — of water
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. wax — to grow
  18. band — a music group
  19. stem — to come from
  20. sharp — clever
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. current — happening now
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. present — the time now

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