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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. staff — employees
  4. field — for sport
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bear — the animal
  8. spring — the season
  9. bear — the animal
  10. wax — to grow
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. lean — thin
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. stem — to come from
  15. staff — a stick
  16. field — farmland
  17. staff — employees
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. lean — to bend
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — of water
  24. field — a subject

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