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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 116 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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. wax — to grow
  4. can — to be able to
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. rush — hurry
  8. last — final
  9. bat — the animal
  10. object — a thing
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. fine — high quality
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. last — finally
  16. can — a tin
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. can — a tin
  19. last — to go on
  20. object — an aim
  21. fine — all right
  22. object — to protest
  23. stem — to come from
  24. fine — a penalty

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