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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. saw — the tool
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. stem — to come from
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. mate — a partner
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. saw — the tool
  11. present — a gift
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. band — a ring
  16. present — the time now
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — to grow
  19. band — a music group
  20. present — there
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. mate — a friend
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. wax — in the ear

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