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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mark — a trace
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. tear — to rip
  8. land — a country
  9. land — ground
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. wax — to grow
  12. rock — music
  13. land — to come down
  14. tear — from crying
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. dip — to sink
  23. stem — to come from
  24. mark — a grade

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