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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. face — part of the head
  3. tube — the underground
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. saw — the tool
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. face — to point toward
  10. current — of water
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. current — happening now
  13. current — electric
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. staff — employees
  16. mine — for digging
  17. face — to confront
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. tube — a container
  21. staff — a stick
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. stem — to come from
  24. wax — to grow

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