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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. firm — steady
  3. object — to protest
  4. object — a thing
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — to grow
  7. march — the month
  8. scale — size or range
  9. fine — high quality
  10. capital — money
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. fine — all right
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. stem — to come from
  15. march — the month
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. march — music
  18. scale — in music
  19. capital — a city
  20. object — an aim
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. firm — decided
  24. wax — in the ear

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