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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — for digging
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wake — a trail
  9. scale — in music
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. scale — size or range
  16. stem — to come from
  17. bass — low music
  18. stand — to bear
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. bass — the fish
  24. wax — in the ear

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