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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 120 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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. dip — to sink
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. season — of the year
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. wax — to grow
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. wake — a trail
  19. stem — to come from
  20. wound — an injury
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. season — in sport
  23. kick — in football
  24. wound — an injury

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