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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. pitch — completely
  5. toast — bread
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bulb — for light
  9. track — a song
  10. wax — to grow
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bark — to shout
  16. stem — to come from
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. track — a path
  19. track — to keep track
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. toast — the most admired

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