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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. snap — to click
  5. shower — rain
  6. press — a publisher
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. shower — to wash
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. stem — to come from
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. object — to protest
  14. object — an aim
  15. press — to push
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. object — a thing
  19. wax — to grow
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a dance
  24. press — newspapers

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