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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. degree — an amount
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. stand — to bear
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wax — to grow
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. degree — temperature
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. degree — from a university
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. stem — to come from
  22. prune — to trim
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. hide — animal skin

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