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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.

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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. stem — to come from
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. pit — in a race
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. mark — a grade
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. sharp — clever
  15. mark — a trace
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wax — to grow
  22. fall — the season
  23. pit — a hole
  24. fall — to drop

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