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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. charge — a price
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. stem — to come from
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. wound — an injury
  14. drill — a practice
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. charge — electricity
  17. wound — an injury
  18. charge — in control
  19. branch — a division
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. drill — the tool
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. drill — army training
  24. branch — of a bank

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