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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. wax — to grow
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. cue — for pool
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cue — a signal
  13. plane — a tool
  14. ball — a dance
  15. wind — moving air
  16. stem — to come from
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. ball — a great time

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