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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. stem — to come from
  3. cue — a hint
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. cue — a signal
  6. tube — a container
  7. court — of a king
  8. wax — to grow
  9. court — for sport
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cap — of ice
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. cap — a hat
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. court — of law
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. cap — a lid
  24. wax — in the ear

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