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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. wax — to grow
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. field — for sport
  14. roll — a cake
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. roll — a list
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — farmland
  23. dip — to sink
  24. toast — the most admired

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