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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. ground — crushed
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. wax — to grow
  6. ground — a position
  7. prune — to trim
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. firm — a company
  10. can — a tin
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. can — to be able to
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. firm — steady
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. firm — decided
  20. prune — to trim
  21. stem — to come from
  22. game — a match
  23. ground — the earth
  24. can — a tin

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