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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 120 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. wax — to grow
  6. saw — the tool
  7. board — a committee
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. cold — an illness
  11. perch — the fish
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. cold — not warm
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. board — to get on
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. stem — to come from
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. arm — part of the body

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