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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. current — of water
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. spring — the season
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spring — of water
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. tear — to rip
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. current — electric
  23. current — happening now
  24. wax — to grow

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