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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. can — a tin
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. spring — a coil
  5. kid — to tease
  6. spring — of water
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. can — a tin
  9. firm — a company
  10. staff — employees
  11. stem — to come from
  12. can — to be able to
  13. staff — a stick
  14. swing — in golf
  15. staff — employees
  16. swing — to play on
  17. spring — the season
  18. firm — decided
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. firm — steady
  21. swing — music
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. kid — child

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