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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. content — the amount
  6. craft — a skill
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. prune — to trim
  10. track — a song
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. object — to protest
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. prune — to trim
  15. track — a path
  16. track — to keep track
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — happy
  20. stem — to come from
  21. craft — boats
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. object — an aim
  24. prune — the fruit

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