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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. field — a subject
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. can — to be able to
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. charge — electricity
  7. charge — a price
  8. rest — what's left
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. wax — to grow
  11. rest — a break
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. can — a tin
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — for sport
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. charge — in control
  21. rest — what's left
  22. stem — to come from
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wax — for sculpting

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