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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. wax — to grow
  5. stem — to come from
  6. suit — to fit
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. suit — in cards
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. suit — clothes
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. mine — for digging
  18. roll — a list
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bark — to shout
  22. roll — a cake
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. game — a match

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