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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. mug — a cup
  3. stem — to come from
  4. cue — a hint
  5. pit — a hole
  6. swing — music
  7. swing — in golf
  8. mug — a face
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. cue — for pool
  11. wax — to grow
  12. cue — a signal
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. staff — employees
  15. swing — to play on
  16. pit — in a race
  17. mug — to rob
  18. staff — a stick
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. staff — employees
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — a video
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. clip — to cut

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