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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. track — to keep track
  3. cap — a lid
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. cue — a hint
  6. face — to confront
  7. cap — a hat
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. face — part of the head
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. face — to point toward
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. cap — of ice
  18. track — a path
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cue — for pool
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. stem — to come from
  24. toast — bread

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