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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. staff — a stick
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. staff — employees
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. stem — to come from
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. wax — to grow
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. rule — a law
  20. rule — government
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. staff — employees
  23. snap — to click
  24. stem — of a plant

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