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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. bat — the animal
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — to grow
  6. press — to push
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. object — an aim
  10. march — music
  11. object — to protest
  12. march — the month
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. object — a thing
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. press — newspapers
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. march — the month
  21. stem — to come from
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. press — a publisher
  24. squash — to crush

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