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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  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. stem — to come from
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. pit — in a race
  4. last — final
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. pit — a hole
  8. ground — a position
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. last — finally
  11. ground — the earth
  12. last — to go on
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a leader
  15. file — a document
  16. lean — thin
  17. file — a line of people
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. ground — crushed
  20. file — a tool
  21. lean — to bend
  22. wax — to grow
  23. lean — to rest against
  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