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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. wax — to grow
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pass — a permit
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. degree — from a university
  10. stem — to come from
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. capital — a city
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. degree — an amount
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. stand — to bear
  18. capital — money
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. degree — temperature
  23. date — the fruit
  24. capital — a big letter

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