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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. stem — to come from
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wax — to grow
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. rock — a stone
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. rock — music
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. chest — of your body

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