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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. shower — to wash
  5. court — of law
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. rest — a break
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cell — a phone
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. stem — to come from
  15. court — for sport
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. wax — to grow
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. rest — what's left
  23. court — of a king
  24. wake — a trail

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