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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. last — final
  10. last — to go on
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. wax — to grow
  13. race — humankind
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. last — finally
  16. kid — to tease
  17. season — in sport
  18. foot — a measure
  19. race — the arms race
  20. kid — child
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. season — of the year
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. race — a contest

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