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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. shower — to wash
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. board — to get on
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. wax — to grow
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. shower — rain
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bore — to drill
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. stem — to come from
  21. bore — to tire
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. board — a committee

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