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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. club — a group
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. club — for golf
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — to come from
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. row — to paddle
  11. row — a line
  12. bear — the animal
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. wax — to grow
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. mark — a trace
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bear — the animal
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. club — for dancing
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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