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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — of ice
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. spell — a short time
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. wound — an injury
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. wax — to grow
  11. present — a gift
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. spell — letters
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. present — there
  18. present — the time now
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — in sport
  21. wound — an injury
  22. cap — a hat
  23. spell — magic
  24. season — to add flavour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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