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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 120 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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. present — the time now
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. stem — to come from
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. clip — a video
  15. vault — a safe
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. present — there
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. clip — for paper
  23. present — a gift
  24. clip — to cut

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