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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. file — a tool
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wind — moving air
  14. file — a line of people
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. lie — to recline
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. wind — moving air
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. mine — for digging
  23. stem — to come from
  24. file — a document

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