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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. wax — to grow
  6. stem — to come from
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. pit — a hole
  9. dip — to sink
  10. stand — to bear
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. drill — a practice
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. drill — the tool
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. mark — a grade
  20. drill — army training
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. pit — in a race
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. mark — a trace

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