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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. wax — to grow
  3. tube — the underground
  4. shower — to wash
  5. stem — to come from
  6. tube — a container
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. shower — rain
  9. charge — electricity
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. lie — to recline
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to tire
  16. toast — bread
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. charge — a price
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. bore — to drill
  23. charge — in control
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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