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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 116 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bass — low music
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. wax — to grow
  8. press — to push
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. bore — to drill
  12. press — newspapers
  13. stem — to come from
  14. pit — in a race
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bore — to tire
  17. current — electric
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. current — of water
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. press — a publisher
  22. current — happening now
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bass — the instrument

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