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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. game — a match
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. roll — a list
  10. saw — the tool
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. roll — a cake
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. game — wild animals
  18. stem — to come from
  19. rush — hurry
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. chest — a box

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