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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 116 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. squash — to crush
  3. mate — to breed
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. capital — a city
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. degree — an amount
  10. mate — a partner
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. mate — a friend
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — money
  16. present — there
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. stem — to come from
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — from a university
  22. present — the time now
  23. wax — to grow
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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