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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bat — the animal
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. wax — to grow
  15. plane — a tool
  16. pit — a hole
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pit — in a race
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. stem — to come from
  24. plane — in geometry

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