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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. stem — to come from
  3. spring — a coil
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. wax — to grow
  6. scale — size or range
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — of water
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. swing — music
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. swing — in golf
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. kick — in football
  21. bear — the animal
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. swing — to play on
  24. scale — in music

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