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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 120 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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. scale — in music
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wound — an injury
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. scale — size or range
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. fall — the season
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wax — to grow
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. fall — to drop
  19. stem — to come from
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. wind — moving air
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rest — a break

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