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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. rash — a series
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cold — not warm
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. bear — the animal
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. stem — to come from
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. rash — hasty
  16. wax — to grow
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. cold — an illness
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. pass — a permit
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. stem — a stem cell

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