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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  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. wax — to grow
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. fine — high quality
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bore — to drill
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. squash — the sport
  12. stem — to come from
  13. fine — all right
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. rock — a stone
  16. foot — a measure
  17. pop — soda
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. pop — to visit
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. pop — music
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. rock — music
  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