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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. sharp — clever
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. hand — help
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pop — to visit
  9. content — happy
  10. pop — soda
  11. rule — government
  12. hand — in cards
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — to grow
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. content — the amount
  18. stem — to come from
  19. pass — a permit
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. pop — music
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. rule — a law

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