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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. staff — employees
  5. saw — the tool
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. cap — a lid
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. saw — the tool
  13. cap — a hat
  14. staff — employees
  15. cap — of ice
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. staff — a stick
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. stem — to come from

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