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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. pit — a hole
  7. content — happy
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. pop — soda
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. wax — to grow
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. content — the amount
  17. pop — music
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. mine — for digging
  21. stem — to come from
  22. pit — in a race
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. wave — with your hand

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