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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. rush — hurry
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. present — a gift
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to click
  8. chair — a leader
  9. present — the time now
  10. stem — to come from
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. cap — of ice
  15. squash — the sport
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. present — there
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. squash — to crush
  24. cap — a hat

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