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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. current — happening now
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. court — for sport
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. court — of a king
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — to grow
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fork — in a road
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. court — of law
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. current — of water
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. current — electric

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