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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. suit — in cards
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. land — ground
  5. cell — a phone
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. kick — in football
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. face — to confront
  10. land — to come down
  11. craft — boats
  12. land — a country
  13. face — part of the head
  14. suit — to fit
  15. cell — in biology
  16. face — to point toward
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. craft — a skill
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. suit — clothes
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. wax — to grow
  24. craft — a handicraft

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