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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. pit — a hole
  3. wax — to grow
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. current — happening now
  6. bat — the animal
  7. current — of water
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. rest — what's left
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — a video
  13. content — the amount
  14. pit — in a race
  15. current — electric
  16. rest — a break
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. content — happy

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