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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. wax — to grow
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. rock — a stone
  7. chest — a box
  8. rock — music
  9. firm — steady
  10. firm — decided
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stem — to come from
  13. wind — moving air
  14. land — a country
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. land — ground
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. roll — a list
  20. firm — a company
  21. land — to come down
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. roll — a cake
  24. rock — to move gently

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