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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — to grow
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — hasty
  9. staff — employees
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. mug — to rob
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cell — in biology
  15. staff — employees
  16. sharp — clever
  17. rash — a series
  18. stem — to come from
  19. scale — in music
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — size or range
  23. mug — a face
  24. staff — a stick

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