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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. swing — in golf
  5. swing — to play on
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. dip — to sink
  11. deal — to handle
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. swing — music
  16. wax — to grow
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. pound — a weight
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. deal — a big deal

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