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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. craft — boats
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. last — finally
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. wax — to grow
  8. craft — a skill
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. last — final
  12. lie — to recline
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. net — in sport
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. bat — the animal
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. last — to go on
  22. net — for catching
  23. stem — to come from
  24. net — after costs

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