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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. cell — in biology
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. mark — a grade
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. wax — to grow
  8. present — the time now
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. stem — to come from
  11. fine — high quality
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. branch — a division
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. cell — a phone
  17. present — there
  18. fine — all right
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. lean — thin
  21. present — a gift
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. mark — a trace
  24. cell — in a prison

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