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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. field — a subject
  3. date — the fruit
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. mark — a trace
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. field — farmland
  14. wax — to grow
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. field — for sport
  20. mark — a grade
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. hide — animal skin
  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