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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 116 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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  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. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. shower — to wash
  4. staff — a stick
  5. clip — a video
  6. shower — rain
  7. stem — to come from
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. bank — for money
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bank — of a river
  13. clip — for paper
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — employees
  17. clip — to cut
  18. wound — an injury
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bank — for money
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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