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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 120 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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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. drill — army training
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. suit — clothes
  6. saw — the tool
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. tear — from crying
  9. stem — to come from
  10. drill — a practice
  11. tear — to rip
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. suit — to fit
  21. drill — the tool
  22. mine — for digging
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. suit — in cards

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