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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. row — a line
  7. content — happy
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. stem — to come from
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. wax — to grow
  19. content — the amount
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. row — to paddle
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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