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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 120 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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. stem — to come from
  4. firm — steady
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. bat — the animal
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. rock — a stone
  9. firm — decided
  10. firm — a company
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. mate — a partner
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. mate — to breed
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. mate — a friend
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. rock — music

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