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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. cap — a lid
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. current — of water
  5. cap — a hat
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. chest — a box
  8. wax — to grow
  9. rock — music
  10. swing — to play on
  11. craft — boats
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. swing — music
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. cap — of ice
  16. stem — to come from
  17. swing — in golf
  18. craft — a skill
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rock — a stone
  21. chest — of your body
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. current — happening now
  24. current — electric

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