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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. present — the time now
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. stem — to come from
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. squash — the sport
  10. bound — certain
  11. squash — to crush
  12. present — a gift
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. present — there
  16. bound — tied together
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mark — a grade
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bound — obliged

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