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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. court — of law
  4. court — for sport
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. wax — to grow
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. plane — a tool
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. kick — in football
  13. can — to be able to
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. stem — to come from
  16. scale — size or range
  17. can — a tin
  18. scale — in music
  19. court — of a king
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. perch — the fish
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. can — a tin
  24. plane — in geometry

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