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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. season — in sport
  4. rule — government
  5. board — to get on
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. board — a committee
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. kid — child
  12. dip — to sink
  13. season — of the year
  14. rule — a law
  15. key — for a lock
  16. kid — to tease
  17. key — in music
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. key — the most important part

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