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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 116 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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. stem — to come from
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. swing — to play on
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. cell — in biology
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. kick — in football
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. swing — in golf
  13. cell — a phone
  14. wax — to grow
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. wound — an injury
  19. swing — music
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. stem — a stem cell

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