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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. pitch — completely
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. toast — bread
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. stem — to come from
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. scale — size or range
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. scale — in music
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. game — a match
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. game — wild animals

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