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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. cue — a signal
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. last — finally
  7. cue — a hint
  8. cue — for pool
  9. toast — bread
  10. chest — of your body
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. wax — to grow
  13. last — final
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. kick — in football
  17. prune — to trim
  18. stem — to come from
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. last — to go on
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. chest — of your body

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