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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. present — there
  3. craft — a skill
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — to grow
  7. stem — to come from
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. key — in music
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. key — for a lock
  12. spring — of water
  13. craft — boats
  14. key — the most important part
  15. bat — the animal
  16. pit — a hole
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. spring — the season
  21. present — the time now
  22. pit — in a race
  23. spring — a coil
  24. present — a gift

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