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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. stem — to come from
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — to grow
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — the earth
  12. perch — the fish
  13. fall — to drop
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. fall — the season
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. ground — crushed
  18. mine — for digging
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. fall — to drop
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. perch — for a bird

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