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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. track — a path
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. wax — to grow
  5. capital — money
  6. track — a song
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. fall — the season
  10. capital — a city
  11. shower — rain
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. perch — the fish
  14. shower — to wash
  15. stem — to come from
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. fall — to drop
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. fall — to drop
  24. track — to keep track

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