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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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468
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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. rest — what's left
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. cell — a phone
  6. swing — music
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. swing — to play on
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bear — the animal
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bear — the animal
  19. wax — to grow
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. swing — in golf
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. rest — a break

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