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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. mug — a face
  4. lie — to recline
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. staff — employees
  7. band — a ring
  8. roll — a list
  9. mug — a cup
  10. staff — a stick
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. wax — to grow
  13. mug — to rob
  14. staff — employees
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. scale — in music
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. scale — size or range
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. roll — a cake
  24. band — a music group

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