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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. cap — a lid
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. cap — a hat
  7. pop — music
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cold — an illness
  10. stem — to come from
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. roll — a cake
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pop — soda
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. cold — not warm
  22. roll — a list
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. safe — out of danger

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