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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 124 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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. row — to paddle
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wax — to grow
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — for dancing
  14. date — the fruit
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. row — a line
  21. stem — to come from
  22. club — a group
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. rush — hurry

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