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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 116 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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  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. wax — to grow
  2. drill — army training
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. kid — to tease
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to confront
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. staff — employees
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. drill — the tool
  13. stem — to come from
  14. staff — a stick
  15. shower — to wash
  16. face — to point toward
  17. drill — a practice
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. kid — child
  20. shower — rain
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. staff — employees
  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