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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. squash — to crush
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. rash — hasty
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. wax — to grow
  8. squash — the sport
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. rash — a series
  11. cap — a lid
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. stem — to come from
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. cap — of ice
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. wound — an injury
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. cap — a hat

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