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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. staff — employees
  3. suit — clothes
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. stem — to come from
  6. staff — employees
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — letters
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. suit — in cards
  15. staff — a stick
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — for paper
  18. clip — to cut
  19. suit — to fit
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. wax — to grow
  22. spell — magic
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. cabinet — ministers

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