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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. can — to be able to
  3. wax — to grow
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. can — a tin
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. roll — a list
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. can — a tin
  10. hand — in cards
  11. last — to go on
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — a position
  15. deal — to handle
  16. ground — the earth
  17. last — final
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. hand — help
  21. stem — to come from
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. last — finally
  24. roll — a cake

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