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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 120 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. swing — music
  3. wax — to grow
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. swing — in golf
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bat — the animal
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pitch — completely
  14. bore — to drill
  15. current — electric
  16. current — happening now
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. current — of water
  23. swing — to play on
  24. stem — a stem cell

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