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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. bat — the animal
  9. court — of a king
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pit — in a race
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. stem — to come from
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. foot — a measure
  18. wax — to grow
  19. prune — to trim
  20. court — for sport
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. court — of law
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. patient — a sick person

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