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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. hand — help
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. tube — a container
  5. season — in sport
  6. chip — to eat
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. wax — to grow
  9. key — in music
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. key — for a lock
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. lie — to recline
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. season — of the year
  17. key — the most important part
  18. chip — for betting
  19. hand — in cards
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. stem — to come from
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. tube — the underground
  24. stem — a stem cell

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