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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. lean — to bend
  3. wax — to grow
  4. drill — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. lean — thin
  8. chip — for betting
  9. drill — a practice
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. chip — to eat
  13. can — a tin
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. drill — army training
  17. can — a tin
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. mine — for digging
  24. stem — to come from

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