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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. last — to go on
  4. wax — to grow
  5. kid — to tease
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. can — to be able to
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. kid — child
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. can — a tin
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rush — hurry
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. last — finally
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. can — a tin
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. stem — to come from
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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