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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. ground — the earth
  6. present — a gift
  7. stem — to come from
  8. kid — to tease
  9. present — there
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. wax — to grow
  12. kid — child
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. ground — a position
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. present — the time now
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. ground — crushed
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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