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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — for catching
  5. drill — army training
  6. file — a tool
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. net — after costs
  15. file — a line of people
  16. file — a document
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bulb — for light
  22. drill — the tool
  23. drill — a practice
  24. wax — to grow

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