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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. chest — a box
  4. lean — thin
  5. spring — of water
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. chest — of your body
  8. game — wild animals
  9. chest — of your body
  10. spring — the season
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. lean — to bend
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. game — a match
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. stem — to come from
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. spring — a coil

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