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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. kid — to tease
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. wax — to grow
  5. spell — magic
  6. craft — boats
  7. spell — a short time
  8. kid — child
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. stem — to come from
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. craft — a skill
  18. season — of the year
  19. spell — letters
  20. season — in sport
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. stem — of a plant

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