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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. ground — crushed
  3. mark — a trace
  4. suit — in cards
  5. ground — a position
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. ground — the earth
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. suit — clothes
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. wax — to grow
  16. suit — to fit
  17. mark — a grade
  18. branch — a division
  19. stem — to come from
  20. swing — music
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. swing — to play on
  23. swing — in golf
  24. branch — of a tree

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