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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. chair — a leader
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. rash — a series
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. wax — to grow
  8. date — the fruit
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. stem — to come from
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. tube — the underground
  21. rash — hasty
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. branch — a division

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