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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. key — the most important part
  5. plane — a tool
  6. wax — to grow
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. wind — moving air
  9. prune — to trim
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. stem — to come from
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. key — for a lock
  15. key — in music
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. wind — moving air
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pitcher — a jug

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