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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. prune — to trim
  3. tear — to rip
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. tear — from crying
  8. race — humankind
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. prune — to trim
  11. race — the arms race
  12. cap — a hat
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. wax — to grow
  15. stem — to come from
  16. track — a path
  17. race — a contest
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. tear — from crying
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a song
  23. cap — of ice
  24. wax — for sculpting

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