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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. mate — a partner
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. spring — of water
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. stock — shares
  9. mate — to breed
  10. spring — a coil
  11. wound — an injury
  12. spring — the season
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bulb — for light
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. stock — goods
  18. stem — to come from
  19. wound — an injury
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. mate — a friend
  24. calf — of the leg

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