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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. swing — music
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. object — a thing
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. object — an aim
  7. bound — tied together
  8. wax — to grow
  9. bound — certain
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. swing — in golf
  13. scale — size or range
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. chair — a leader
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. chip — for betting
  19. object — to protest
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chip — to eat
  22. bound — obliged
  23. scale — in music
  24. swing — to play on

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