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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 116 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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. court — of law
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — an amount
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. march — the month
  11. wax — to grow
  12. deal — to handle
  13. march — the month
  14. court — for sport
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. saw — the tool
  18. degree — from a university
  19. court — of a king
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. march — music
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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