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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. stem — to come from
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. pit — in a race
  10. fall — the season
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. wax — to grow
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. fall — to drop
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. pit — a hole
  19. dip — to sink
  20. fall — to drop
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. prune — to trim
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. patient — a sick person

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