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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. season — in sport
  7. wax — to grow
  8. ball — a dance
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cold — not warm
  11. ball — a great time
  12. cold — an illness
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. season — of the year
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. kick — in football
  21. rush — hurry
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. stem — to come from
  24. rush — to hurry

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