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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. root — of a word
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. last — to go on
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. last — finally
  8. mug — a cup
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — to grow
  11. root — of a plant
  12. root — the cause
  13. mug — a face
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — to come from
  16. foot — a measure
  17. file — a tool
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. file — a line of people
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mark — a trace
  23. file — a document
  24. last — final

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