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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. wax — to grow
  6. row — a line
  7. scale — size or range
  8. foot — a measure
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. stem — to come from
  12. ground — a position
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. row — to paddle
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — crushed
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. scale — in music

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