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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wax — to grow
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. bat — the animal
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. sharp — clever
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. stem — to come from
  24. leaves — lets stay

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