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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. drill — the tool
  4. branch — a division
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. wax — to grow
  8. face — to confront
  9. face — to point toward
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. cue — for pool
  12. perch — the fish
  13. lean — to bend
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. drill — a practice
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. cue — a hint
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lean — thin
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. drill — army training
  22. face — part of the head
  23. stem — to come from
  24. cue — a signal

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