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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. lean — thin
  3. prune — to trim
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. present — a gift
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. present — there
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. rash — hasty
  13. wax — to grow
  14. mine — for digging
  15. rash — a series
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. prune — to trim
  18. present — the time now
  19. stem — to come from
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. rash — on the skin

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