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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. stem — to come from
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. ground — a position
  5. fine — all right
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. cap — a hat
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wax — to grow
  11. cap — of ice
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. ground — crushed
  15. fine — high quality
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. field — a subject
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — farmland
  22. cap — a lid
  23. ground — the earth
  24. mine — for digging

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