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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. bound — certain
  3. chest — a box
  4. field — a subject
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. root — the cause
  7. lie — to recline
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bound — tied together
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. cap — a lid
  15. root — of a plant
  16. wax — to grow
  17. stem — to come from
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bound — obliged
  20. root — of a word
  21. field — for sport
  22. chest — of your body
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. field — farmland

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