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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. suit — to fit
  6. court — for sport
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. suit — clothes
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. court — of law
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. wax — to grow
  13. court — of a king
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. suit — in cards
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bound — certain
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bound — obliged
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. bound — tied together
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chair — a leader
  24. stem — to come from

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