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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. wax — to grow
  4. stem — to come from
  5. net — for catching
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. root — of a plant
  8. net — after costs
  9. shower — rain
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. pit — in a race
  14. net — in sport
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. root — of a word
  19. root — the cause
  20. pit — a hole
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. shower — to wash
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. patient — a sick person

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