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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. face — part of the head
  3. present — the time now
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. shower — rain
  6. wax — to grow
  7. face — to point toward
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. march — the month
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. ball — a great time
  12. shower — to wash
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. present — there
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. face — to confront
  23. dip — to sink
  24. present — a gift

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