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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. cell — a phone
  4. band — a music group
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. wax — to grow
  8. stem — to come from
  9. rush — hurry
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. current — happening now
  13. current — electric
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. can — a tin
  16. deal — to handle
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. can — to be able to
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. cell — in biology
  22. band — a ring
  23. can — a tin
  24. current — of water

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